In 2019, Ontario tied with Mexico for the lowest number of acute care beds per capita in the world, writes Alanna Golden and Shawn Whatley in the National Post. Below is an excerpt from the article, which can be read in full here.
By Alanna Golden and Shawn Whatley, February 18, 2022
Ontarians have been very patient. Last spring, we waited in line to receive the coveted COVID-19 vaccination. There was promise in the air that vaccines would be the ticket to normalcy. A few weeks would flatten the curve and prevent a health-care crisis. Fast forward almost a year, with one of the most highly vaccinated populations globally, and we still have hospital overcrowding. With little else to blame for the status quo, the unvaccinated have become our scapegoat.
The truth is that hospital capacity issues and staffing shortages are no stranger. In December 2019, the Ontario Hospital Association reported that Ontario hospital bed capacity had not changed over the past two decades despite a 27 per cent population increase. Ontario tied with Mexico for the lowest number of acute care beds per capita in the world. Prior to the pandemic, Ontario had 22,400 acute care beds, with 2,012 serving critical care patients. Premier Doug Ford added 3,100 acute care beds this pandemic, including 1,500 critical care beds. This brought Ontario to 1.7 beds per 1,000 population, well below the 2.9 beds per 1,000 among peer countries. Ontario would need another 17,706 beds to bridge the gap — 3,100 new beds is merely a tiny drop in the giant health-care bucket.
The truth is that hospital capacity issues and staffing shortages are no stranger. In December 2019, the Ontario Hospital Association reported that Ontario hospital bed capacity had not changed over the past two decades despite a 27 per cent population increase. Ontario tied with Mexico for the lowest number of acute care beds per capita in the world. Prior to the pandemic, Ontario had 22,400 acute care beds, with 2,012 serving critical care patients. Premier Doug Ford added 3,100 acute care beds this pandemic, including 1,500 critical care beds. This brought Ontario to 1.7 beds per 1,000 population, well below the 2.9 beds per 1,000 among peer countries. Ontario would need another 17,706 beds to bridge the gap — 3,100 new beds is merely a tiny drop in the giant health-care bucket.
***TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE, VISIT THE NATIONAL POST HERE***
