A viral respiratory surge, driven by a particularly bad strain of the flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, overwhelmed the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton, the Children’s Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre and CHEO in Ottawa.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Nearly 12,000 children are on a wait list for surgeries across Ontario.
It’s a situation that officials at four major pediatric hospitals say is part of a much bigger problem that they need help from the province to solve.
A viral respiratory surge, driven by a particularly bad strain of the flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, overwhelmed the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton, the Children’s Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre and CHEO in Ottawa.
The hospitals say that surge has abated after three difficult months that saw surgeries cancelled and staff redeployed to help out overburdened emergency departments and intensive care units.
Through that time, the surgical wait-list continued to grow.
About half of the 11,789 children on the list are waiting beyond the clinically recommended wait times.
Now hospitals are looking for more long-term help from the province to tackle the wait list, speed up surgeries and expand emergency departments.
They say they appreciate the province’s investments in boosting ICU capacity, but need investments in the rest of the system.