​​​​​​​Patient with Ministers, MPP and Pisters, Rubin
(L to R) Cardiac patient Donald Welsh, who had double bypass surgery and an aortic valve replacement last week, chats with MPP Han Dong (Trinity-Spadina), Finance Minister Charles Sousa, Dr. Eric Hoskins (crouching), Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, Dr. Peter Pisters, President and CEO of UHN, and Dr. Barry Rubin, Medical Director of Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, prior to news conference. (Photo: UHN)

Against the backdrop of a few dozen UHN employees, two senior Ontario cabinet ministers detailed $345 million in new funding for the province's hospitals that was outlined in last week's budget.

"With this new and important funding, we are working to ensure that patients can receive the procedures they need faster, such as hip and knee replacements and cataract surgery," Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, told a news conference Monday at Toronto General Hospital (TGH).

Prior to the event in TGH's DeGasperis Conservatory, Dr. Hoskins and his cabinet colleague, Finance Minister Charles Sousa, were among a group to visit the room of 80-year-old cardiac patient Donald Welsh, from Omemee, near Peterborough, who last week had double bypass surgery and an aortic valve replacement in the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre.

 
 
 
Dr. Chris Feindel of Peter Munk Cardiac Centre explains the procedure he performed on Donald Welsh. (Video: PMCC/UHN)
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Minister Sousa told the news conference the 2016 Ontario Budget "supports continued commitments to increase patients' access to primary care, to provide more care for people at or close to home and to help all Ontario families continue to receive quality health care."

Anthony Dale, President and CEO of the Ontario Hospital Association, said the investment "will go to support frontline care and help to keep wait times low, maintain access to elective surgery and ensure that important health service programs are maintained."

For full details, read the news release he​re.

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