Officials from four major children’s hospitals in the province say this situation is part of a much larger problem and will require help from the Ontario government to resolve it.
A spate of respiratory infections, caused by a very bad strain of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), kept the Children’s Hospital teams on their toes sick children of Toronto, Children’s Hospital McMaster at Hamiltonthe Children’s Hospital of the Center for Health Sciences of London and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) in Ottawa.
Children’s hospitals say pressure has eased after three difficult months Operations have been cancelled and where staff have been redeployed to help emergency rooms and overwhelmed intensive care units.
During this time, however, the waiting list for children’s surgeries has continued to grow.
About half of the 11,789 children enrolled in Ontario are waiting beyond clinically recommended waiting times.
Children’s hospitals are now seeking longer-term help from the province to manage these waits, expedite surgeries, and expand emergency rooms.
While they say they are grateful for the provincial government’s investment to increase intensive care unit capacity, they say they need investment in other units and services in the healthcare system.
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