Health Care Services In Niagara, Ontario’s Southern Tier ‘Must Be Preserved’ – Niagara MPP

Submitted by the Office of Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster

QUEEN’S PARK, February 28 – Today in the legislature, Welland MPP Cindy Forster presented a petition signed by nearly 20,000 Ontarians calling on the government to preserve health care services in the south Niagara and Welland area.

Cindy Forster, NDP MPP for the Niagara, Ontario riding of Welland, tables citizens’ petition for health care in provincial legislature

“As the Niagara Health System prepares to transfer important services from Welland and Greater Niagara General Hospitals into its new north St. Catharines hospital at the end of March, thousands of south Niagara residents hope Health and Long-Term Care Minister Deb Matthews will listen to their concerns, and impose a moratorium on the move until new south Niagara hospital services are implemented,” said Forster.

“If the move goes ahead, residents of south Niagara will have to travel to north St. Catharines to access obstetric, pediatric and gynecological services. Many residents will have to travel an hour or more to access these essential services,” explained Forster.

The current NHS plan would move the services to north St. Catharines until a new south Niagara hospital is constructed. Residents and stakeholders are concerned that the new south Niagara hospital is years away from completion, and access to care will seriously suffer until services in the area are restored.

“While maximizing efficiency in our health care system is important, savings and efficiencies should never come at the cost of the quality of service Ontarians deserve, and expect,” said Forster. “Ongoing mismanagement and scandals have created the current financial crisis in Ontario’s health care system, not reasonable access to appropriate care.”

Forster is also concerned about larger impacts the cuts will have on affected communities.

“In communities already hard hit by manufacturing job losses and high unemployment rates, these cuts will result in the layoff of nearly 100 front line nurses and support staff. Many of these health care workers are the primary income earners for their families,” said Forster.

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