Ontario is projected to be short 33,000 nurses and personal support workers by 2028 despite Premier Doug Ford’s investment in the sector, the province’s fiscal watchdog said in a special health-care report released Wednesday.
The Financial Accountability Office (FAO), which is a body that provides independent analysis on the state of Ontario’s finances, also says the government will be short $21 billion to cover its commitments over a six-year period to expand hospitals, long-term care and home care.
Ontario’s health-care system has buckled in recent years with severe staffing shortages that have led to temporary emergency room closures, a massive surgical backlog and fed-up patients.
And according to Financial Accountability Officer Peter Weltman, “challenges are expected to persist across Ontario’s health-care system.
While the Doug Ford government has committed to making “significant” investments in these areas, the FAO says even if it were to see them all through, it would be “more than offset” by demand for health services, particularly as the population ages.
In addition to the nurse and PSW shortage, the FAO predicts the province is likely to be short 500 beds out of the estimated 7,500 beds needed just to serve the growth in demand for hospital services.
The financial watchdog says the province could address the funding shortfall by incrementally spending more in upcoming budgets and a boost from Ontario’s ballooning contingency fund.