NDP Leader Howard Hampton slammed the McGuinty Liberals today for turning a blind eye to the gutting of hospital services at the hands of profitable private corporations.

“Hospitals across Ontario are being forced to make deep cuts in staff and services because of chronic underfunding. Many communities in Ontario have already seen nursing jobs, hospital beds, and even whole clinics disappear out of their hospitals. This is a full-blown crisis. The McGuinty government’s response is to allow private corporations to profit while public healthcare suffers,” said Hampton.

Hampton was responding to a report released today by the Ontario Health Coalition indicating the half of Ontario’s hospitals are currently under-funded and more than two-thirds will be by next year. The report identifies cuts, including: the closure of Emergency Departments and birthing centres; privatization and increased fees for physiotherapy, chiropody and support services; and staffing layoffs.

Hampton said communities across Ontario, including Ajax, Hamilton, Toronto, Waterloo, and London to name just a few, have already felt the impact of cuts.

“Dalton McGuinty is putting hospital money into the hands of Bay Street corporations while Ontarians are left holding the bag, struggling for the healthcare they need within a gutted system,” said Hampton.