A row of hospital stretchers outside Northumberland Hills Hospital in Cobourg served as a stark reminder of Ontario’s worsening health care crisis on the eve of the provincial election.
The demonstration, organized by CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE), aimed to highlight the rising number of patients receiving care in hallways, the 2.5 million Ontarians without a family doctor, and the 250,000 people waiting for surgeries-11,000 of whom died on the waitlist last year.
According to OCHU-CUPE president Michael Hurley, hallway medicine has more than doubled since 2018.
“The entire health care sector is staggering,” said Hurley. “There is no end to the staffing shortages, ER closures, or surgical delays.”
Hurley says hospital overcrowding has skyrocketed, with 2,000 patients receiving care in hallways every day and thousands dying on surgical waitlists last year.
Northumberland Hills Hospital operated at 96% capacity in the first half of 2024-25, well above the recommended 85%. The hospital also faced an $8 million shortfall, part of a $800 million deficit province-wide.
According to Hurley, ER wait times are rising, staffing shortages persist, and millions of Ontarians are without a family doctor.
CUPE is calling for increased hospital capacity, improved staffing, and an end to privatization. “As a province, we must do better for our citizens,” said Hurley.
The union urges the next government to take immediate action.
(Written by: Joseph Goden)