Recent layoffs at the North Bay hospital will have a ripple effect at other hospitals across Northeastern Ontario. That’s the assessment from the health division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees which represents some hospital workers. CUPE spokesman Michael Hurley says as staff are let go and beds are closed, there’s only one other place for patients to go. He says many are heading to the Sudbury hospital which already faces its own issues. Hurley says the Wynne Liberals can fix this by allocating more money to the North Bay hospital which is in the third year of a five year funding freeze. Hurley says the Liberals have made extra funding to other hospitals in special circumstances and they need to do the same for North Bay. He says the North Bay hospital was built under a private – public partnership and has 30 percent higher operating costs, something provincial funding doesn’t take into account. Hurley adds management and the provincial government are pretending everything is alright but he says it’s not. He says patients are simply medicated and then sent home to be looked after by family members and he says this is not acceptable.
