NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says a provincially-appointed supervisor is ramming through $5-million worth of budget cuts at Cambridge Memorial Hospital at precisely the wrong time.

“With Ontario hospitals bursting at the seams due to the H1N1 outbreak, is now really the time to cut staff at Cambridge Memorial Hospital?” she asked during today’s Question Period.

The supervisor is making the cuts in an attempt to balance the hospital’s budget. Overtime is being reduced, early retirement is being encouraged, and empty positions are being left unfilled.

“Unfortunately, Cambridge is not alone. Four out of every ten Ontario hospitals are in the same dire situation, forced to cut staff and services to balance budgets,” said Horwath.

She warned that this year’s round of cuts is merely the tip of the iceberg.

“How are these hospitals supposed to provide the care Ontarians need, when this government is forcing them to gut their budgets by a further $200-million next year?” she asked.

Instead of forcing cuts that will lead to diminished patient care at hospitals like Cambridge Memorial, the McGuinty Liberals should be working with all hospitals to ensure Ontarians receive the healthcare they deserve when they need it, added Horwath.

“But the McGuinty Liberals would rather plow ahead with a wrongheaded move that will do nothing to improve healthcare delivery in Waterloo Region,” she said.