Ontario will spend $12.5 million to build a new hospital in Brant County in an effort to improve access to services and reduce wait times in the province, the health minister announced.
The province says the new hospital will include increased patient capacity, access to core programs, emergency services, intensive care, medical imaging and other diagnostic services, and maternal, newborn, and pediatric services.
The hospital is also expected to include mental health and addictions services, such as a mental health emergency medicine unit and a specialized mental health outpatient clinic, as well as medical and surgical inpatient units including for stroke and rehabilitation care, and new ambulatory care programs, the province says.
The ministry of health is working with the Brant Community Healthcare System to determine the number of beds and square footage required, among other early planning tasks, the province added, noting that a construction schedule will be confirmed once further planning is complete.
The funding builds on the province’s $2.5 million of funding in 2022 toward redeveloping the Brantford General Hospital and Willett Hospital, including increasing the number of beds and health services for patients.
The Ontario Medical Association noted in January that there is a shortage of physicians in Ontario, saying the province’s health care system is in “crisis.” There were 2.5 million residents without a family doctor in January, the association said, adding that it predicts that will increase to 4.4 million in a year.
Meanwhile, Ontario is not the only province experiencing a health care “crisis.” Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and B.C. have also launched campaigns to attract doctors from the United States to help reduce wait times in Canadian hospitals.
