Approximately 70 per cent of all countries have access to universal healthcare, and I was always proud to tell my American friends that I lived in one of those places — proud that I never had to worry about going bankrupt after an emergency room visit. I feel that this reassurance is a privilege, and for a long time, I only saw the positives.
But after learning about the ongoing hospital job cuts in Ontario, I am more worried than proud of our universal healthcare system.
A few weeks ago, I read a CBC article about worker cuts at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. I couldn’t ignore it, as someone in my family was recently admitted to that hospital.
The article explained that the job cuts include “24 vacancies and 38 active jobs.” I’m no healthcare professional, but given what I know about recent cuts in sectors like education, I know that this won’t solve problems. Instead, cutting staff will impact Ontario’s healthcare system and all the Ontarians who rely on it.
Jobs in healthcare are recognized as the most stressful jobs in the country, and these worker cuts are the last thing they need.
Ontario has the highest annual hospital utilization rate in Canada, with 443.2 visits per 1,000 people, yet it has the lowest per capita hospital funding in the country at $1,967, which puts it behind provinces like British Columbia ($2,111) and Quebec ($2,113).
How does that make sense?
Public hospitals in Ontario are clearly undergoing a financial deficit, but instead of confronting the issue with increased funding, the province is expanding funding toward private, for-profit surgical clinics. Public hospitals are told to expect only a 2 per cent annual funding increase until 2027-2028 — the lowest it’s ever been.
So, what will this underfunding encourage in the future?
More job cuts, postponed hospital expansions, hospital bed closures and worn-out staff. When these problems emerge, patient care suffers, and this becomes the norm. After that comes declined public confidence in worker sectors and the government.
And finally, the outcome that emerges from all this conflict is the worst narrative society can have: public healthcare doesn’t work.
Ontario’s public hospitals are not just treatment centres; they promote medical research and foster clinical validation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, public healthcare became a lifeline. The first COVID-19 vaccinations in Canada were administered through the University Health Network in Toronto.
Even through one of the toughest financial strains we’ve experienced in the last 10 years, public healthcare delivered when it mattered the most.
I understand that the government must juggle many priorities — you know, running our province and all — however, Ontario is navigating economic pressures across multiple sectors. Healthcare, like education, is foundational and when those systems weaken, everything else follows.
As someone who grew up in Ontario, I found it difficult to take pride in our “universal healthcare” once I was exposed to the reality that healthcare workers and institutions now face. Cutting frontline positions sends a message about what our province is prioritizing right now, affecting all Ontarians who rely on public healthcare — which is only around 14 million people.
If you believe in protecting healthcare institutions and workers in Ontario, you cannot accept this progression.
Though systemic change requires action from the government, there are ways that citizens can help the public institutions that support us. Many hospital foundations help fund equipment, research, and patient programs, and while not everyone can afford to donate, giving your time through volunteering can make a real difference.
Donations alone are not the solution. Recognition matters just the same, and recognition holds leaders accountable for making decisions. I’ll continue talking about these issues with friends, family, classmates, professors — anyone willing to listen — because maybe the message will reach someone who can help create change and keep the advocacy going.
Ontario represents nearly 40 per cent of Canada’s population, and our hospitals already carry an intense load. They cannot continue to operate efficiently as a system, and as workers, if these financial issues carry on.
Healthcare workers deserve stability, hospitals deserve sustainable funding and Ontarians deserve a public system that is supported — not slowly dismantling.
If we are proud of our universal healthcare, we must be willing to protect it.