NDP calls for Ford to take action as Brampton health care hits new crisis

BRAMPTON – NDP MPPs Gurratan Singh (Brampton East), Deputy Leader Sara Singh (Brampton Centre), and Kevin Yarde (Brampton North) released the following statement in response to news that the William Osler Health System has to temporarily close the Urgent Care Centre at Peel Memorial due to extreme capacity and staffing challenges:

"The temporary closure of Peel Memorial's Urgent Care Centre is a scary development for patients and their families, and for people across Brampton. No one should have to worry that a loved one might not get the care they need should an emergency arise — whether that’s COVID, a heart attack or a broken bone. Our hearts today are with patients, as well as the millions of people who are anxiously hoping no one in their family has an emergency now.

For years, Liberal and Conservative governments have given Brampton the short end of the stick, refusing to invest in badly needed additional hospital and ER capacity. We have one emergency room when we need three.

Doug Ford didn’t staff up hospitals and retain, recruit and return health care workers fleeing the field. For months, the Ontario NDP has called on the government to undertake an urgent blitz to recruit, retain and return health care workers to the sector, but, instead, Ford made it worse with a low-wage law, Bill 124 that drove health care workers away. That’s on top of Ford blatantly ignoring Brampton’s health care needs, leaving staff to feel overwhelmed, overlooked and disrespected.

We'll keep fighting for the people of Brampton, urging Ford to scrap Bill 124 to return thousands of health care workers to the sector; give health care workers danger pay; and ask the federal government, including the Canadian Armed Forces, for emergency staffing support in hospital.

Then, an NDP government would finally give Brampton its fair share by expanding Peel Memorial into a full hospital with an ER, plus building another standalone hospital to address the city's growing health care needs."