Hospital CEO Salaries Soar as Budgets Stall

QUEEN'S PARK, March 31 /CNW/ - Hospital CEO salaries have reached new records despite a squeeze on budgets and patient services, figures released today on public sector salaries show.

The disclosures show that hospital CEOs' pay is soaring while hospital budgets are stalling, according to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

"Hospital CEOs are behaving like a modern-day French monarchy," said Sharleen Stewart, president of SEIU Local 1, which represents 46,000 healthcare workers in Ontario.

The disclosures for 2009 show:

Robert Bell, CEO of University Health Network took home $830,948, a 24 per cent increase over a mere three years;

Joseph Mapa, CEO of Mt Sinai Hospital, came in near the top with a whopping $724,734.

Robert Devitt, CEO of Toronto East General Hospital pocketed $460,852, enjoying a staggering 53 per cent increase in compensation over 5 years. The massive pay increase was disclosed on the same day the CEO shut the hospital's rehabilitation clinic saying there was no money in the budget.

At St. Michael's Hospital, the new CEO has walked straight into a half-million-dollar salary.

"With hospital budgets being squeezed, how can you justify a 50% increase in compensation for a CEO?" asked Ms. Stewart.

The head of SEIU said: "Hospital CEOs are out of touch. We need a reality check."

"The sense of entitlement is astounding. CEO's pay packets have become so inflated they are matched in size only by their egos," added Ms Stewart.

The union welcomed the provincial government's pledge to reform hospital executive pay.

SEIU called for hospital boards to become more representative of the communities they serve. The union also urged the government to set a base salary rate for hospital CEOs and measure performance based on how executives cooperated with other hospitals and community partners to share best practice and improve patient care across local regions.

"Communities need to take back hospital boards," said Ms. Stewart.

SEIU Local 1 represents 46,000 healthcare workers in Ontario.

For further information: Pat Chastang, Media Relations, SEIU Canada, [phone]