It would certainly have been more than a 5 or 6 billion a year expense but yes, we are facing the realities of an underfunded health care system.
I don't work for LHSC anymore but that is where I did my training.
2018/2019 - 800,458 Ambulatory/Outpatient Visits, 165,824 ER Visits, 388,766 Admission Days - 912 Physician, 3820 Nurses, 2321 Corporate/Management
2017/2018 - 790,720 Ambulatory/Outpatient Visits, 165,239 ER Visits, 370,310 Admission Days - 912 Physician, 3744 Nurses, 2297 Corporate/Management
2016/2017 - 787,709 Ambulatory/Outpatient Visits, 163,369 ER Visits, 350,514 Admission Days - 888 Physician, 3588 Nurses, 2277 Corporate/Management
2015/2016 - 773,084 Ambulatory/Outpatient Visits, 159,028 ER Visits, 328,032 Admission Days - 873 Physician, 3622 Nurses, 2302 Corporate/Management
2014/2015 - 753,630 Ambulatory/Outpatient Visits, 150,649 ER Visits, 357,808 Admission Days - 858 Physician, 3730 Nurses, 2416 Corporate/Management
Volumes go up, patient sickness goes up, support line staff plateau. We have been chipping away at our health care over the last decade. Cuts to outpatient services. Paltry mental health supports. Limits to beds. Having hospitals running at >100% capacity for years with no concerns from the public at large outside of when your loved one sits in the ER for days waiting for an inpatient bed.
We could manufacture 1000 vents today. The problem is in 6 months we won't really need them. They will sit idly and fall into disrepair. There would be a much better approach to having the WHO create an international epidemic/pandemic response unit that could house a mobile ICU that could be transitioned to other regions as required.
We also could add hundred of beds to the country but we also need to see staffing improve accordingly. When I started working you would typically have 4 patients to a nurse on average. Now it is routinely running 8-9 patients/nurse in a lot of situations because of staffing cuts.
