The C-E-O for the Huron-Perth Healthcare Alliance says this week's Provincial budget provided some encouraging news for hospitals.
Andrew Williams says details of funding increases for hospitals won't be available until late next week but adds the budget calls for an increase of 514-million dollars which translates into an increase of about 3 per cent.
Williams says they don't know at this time how much is going to each individual hospital but they have been told each hospital will receive a minimum increase of two per cent, and says some funding will be targeted to areas where wait times are longer than others and for the Alliance that could mean hospitals that perform things like hip and knee replacements.
Williams adds he does not expect any new beds for hospitals but he does expect investment that will more patients through the system more quickly, pointing out that one of the challenges facing hospitals is the inability to move them out of the hospital and into the community or a long-term car facility and that eventually leads to back-up in emergency departments.
Williams says back-ups in ER departments are usually and indication of a problem somewhere else in the system and he believes new funding has to be directed at the entire system to be effective. Williams adds overall he's very pleased with the Province's commitment to increasing funding for hospitals and he's optimistic the funding will be directed to the system as a whole rather than specific sectors.