QUEEN’S PARK – Peggy Sattler, NDP MPP for London West, released the following statement in response to cancelled surgeries at London’s Children Hospital:
“Can you imagine what it must be like to be a parent with a young one in London right now, afraid of your child getting sick and ending up at the hospital? London’s Children’s Hospital is over capacity, families with sick children are facing long waits to be seen, and surgeries are being postponed indefinitely. Kids shouldn’t have to wait, and parents shouldn’t have to worry about what long waits and surgical delays will mean for their child.
Instead of immediately deploying resources to help little children, Doug Ford and Sylvia Jones are choosing not to invest in health care. Londoners deserve to see an acknowledgment of the crisis in children’s hospitals, and a commitment from the government to immediately implement solutions to fix it.
Fixing the crisis affecting hospitals across Ontario requires action to address the staffing crisis. The Ford government must repeal its wage-capping Bill 124, and replace it with a plan to recruit, train, retain, and return nurses. By offering competitive wages and benefits to nurses, we can ensure that we have the staff needed to keep children’s hospitals running smoothly.”