Ontario's Hospitals to Adapt and Change in the Face of Uncertainty

Already Facing a Growing Wave of Chronic Disease, U.S. Attack on Ontario Threatens Prosperity, Provincial Revenues

TORONTO , May 15, 2025 /CNW/ - "The Ontario Hospital Association (OHA), alongside Ontario's hospitals, welcomes the investments announced for hospitals and the broader health care system in the 2025/2026 Ontario Budget. However, given that the funding requirements of our sector will not be fully met, Ontario's hospitals will be seeking to work closely with the Government of Ontario to adapt during this period of elevated risk and uncertainty.

Ontario is balancing a wide range of complex priorities as it grapples with the most serious threat to the province's economy in recent history. As the provincial and federal governments navigate this challenging time, Ontario's hospitals will step up and do their part by working to minimize impact on front-line care.

A longer term, multi-year planning and funding approach will be needed so hospitals can plan effectively through the challenging period that lies ahead. Ontario's hospitals are here to care for their communities and will work collaboratively with the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health in prioritizing decision-making. 

The OHA supports the Government of Ontario plan to strengthen primary care by rostering an additional two million people with a primary care provider by 2029. By 2040, approximately 3.1 million people will be living with a major illness – up from 1.8 million in 2020. A robust system of primary care will give more people access to a health care provider whose job is to focus on disease prevention and the management of chronic conditions. If the strategy is effective, in time, primary care will become the backstop of Ontario's health care system – rather than hospitals - ensuring more people receive care in a more appropriate and cost-effective setting.

Over the long term, Ontario's hospitals will continue to adapt and innovate as they always have. Hospitals will look beyond traditional models of care, promote proven scientific, technological, and clinical innovation, and find new ways to ensure its spread and scale.

Ontario's hospitals are grateful for the support of the people of Ontario and ask for their ongoing support and understanding in the challenging years that lie ahead."

-       Anthony Dale, President and CEO, Ontario Hospital Association

Ontario Hospital Association
Established in 1924, the OHA serves as the voice of the province's public hospitals, supporting them through advocacy, knowledge translation and member engagement, labour relations, and data and analytics with the goal of helping hospitals build a better health system. The OHA is also attuned to the broader strategic questions facing the future of the province's health care system and we work to ensure Ontario's hospitals have a voice in shaping this longer-term vision.

SOURCE Ontario Hospital Association

For more information: Marina Bozic, Media Relations and Public Affairs Advisor, Ontario Hospital Association, [email protected]