Supporting our Health System
“A Plan To Stay Open: Health System Stability and Recovery” will provide the support our system needs to address urgent pressures and prepare for a winter surge
Ontario’s healthcare system has been facing many of the same problems for years—we recognize that new solutions are needed for a better health care experience.
To that end, today our PC government introduced its Plan to Stay Open: Health System Stability and Recovery, a five-point plan to provide the best care possible to patients and residents while ensuring the resources and supports are in place to keep the province and economy open.
“When we released our first Plan to Stay Open in March 2022, we made a promise to build an Ontario that is ready for the challenges of tomorrow because we can no longer accept the status quo,” said Sylvia Jones, MPP for Dufferin-Caledon, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “The second phase of our plan will provide the support our health system needs to address the urgent pressures of today while preparing for a potential winter surge so our province and economy can stay open.”
The plan further bolsters Ontario’s health care workforce, expands innovative models of care and ensures hospital beds are there for patients when they need them. Key actions include:
- hiring up to 6,000 additional health care workers
- freeing up 2,500 more hospital beds
- reducing surgical waitlists
- temporarily covering the cost of examination, application and registration fees for retired and international-trained nurses.
As actions in this plan are implemented in the coming weeks and months, Ontarians can expect to see faster access to health care, including lower wait times in emergency departments, lower wait times for surgical procedures and more care options right in their communities.