queensway carleton hospital, which describes its emergency department as one of the busiest in ontario, has fewer physicians on duty there as of this week, and emergency doctor hours will be cut further in april, officials say.
the cuts are the result of the provincial government winding down special covid-19 pandemic funding.
the situation, in the midst of a widespread emergency department crisis, is causing alarm.
“it means we are not going to be able to provide as many physician hours of coverage and care. it means we have to cut back shifts,” said dr. michael herman, an emergency physician at the hospital who is a spokesperson for the canadian association of emergency physicians.
“canada-wide, we see the state of emergency departments. we see people waiting hours on end, and we hear about the harms that are coming from people waiting hours and hours. cutting these hours is only going to exacerbate the problem.”
the funding cuts are part of the ontario government’s move to end special pandemic funding for hospitals. during the pandemic, the government increased the number of emergency physician hours it would pay for by 20 per cent. it began to gradually reduce those physician hours starting last april.