THUNDER BAY — An injection of provincial dollars will help fund the number of beds at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
Health Minister Sylvia Jones made the announcement Thursday of nearly $7.8 million for 34 beds aimed to support alternative level of care, transitional beds and acute mental health beds.
"This transformative funding allocation from our government marks a pivotal moment for Thunder Bay's healthcare landscape,” stated Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Kevin Holland. “It represents a substantial leap forward, enabling a wider capacity of support and undoubtedly ushering in a new era of enhanced healthcare services, promising a brighter and healthier future for our community."
The investment is part of a nearly $1.2 billion investment this year to continue funding over 3,500 hospital beds across Ontario as part of the Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care.
“Our government continues to make critical investments in our hospitals and health care infrastructure to connect more Ontarians to high-quality convenient care,” Jones said. “This investment will ensure communities across the province have the beds they need to deliver high quality health care in their community now, and for years to come.”
The announcement comes on the heels of a report released by the provincial Financial Accountability Office (FAO) stating that the government spent $2.6 billion less than planned in its first quarter, with $1.2 billion being attributed to decreases in health capital, long-term care home programs, and drug programs.
“Since 2018, our government [has increased] our investment in health care by over $16 billion,” Jones told reporters.
“We are getting shovels in the ground for over 50 new hospital developments that will add more than three 1000 new hospital beds in communities across Ontario over the next 10 years. We're growing our healthcare workforce through the largest medical school expansion in Ontario's history, adding undergraduate and residency positions at every medical school in the province, including the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.”
The report stated that between April 1 and June 30, the government spent about $40.2 billion in the first three months of the 2023-24 fiscal year.
