Sinthia Hoque:- During a news conference on Monday afternoon, Premier Doug Ford and Peter Bethlenfalvy, Ontario’s finance minister and president of the Treasury Board, announced the province will be funding $1.2 billion in order to help hospitals battle COVD-19 challenges.
“Hospitals have been the centre of attention from day one and providing excellent care for our sick and vulnerable, and responding to the various outbreaks without hesitation”, Ford said in a statement.
“Clearly, this additional care comes at a cost, so as a government we must step up and support them. We need to ensure that our hospitals remain viable and are there for people long after COVID-19 has been beaten”.
The funding announcement came just two days before the provincial government 2021 budget release date.
The province says about $697 million will go towards historic working funds deficits for eligible public hospitals, with a particular focus on small, medium, and specialty hospitals, as well as rehabilitation facilities.
In addition to that, about $572.3 million will be issued to reimburse qualifying portions of other revenue, including co-payments for private rooms and a reduction of retail services.
News Source: CTV News
