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Using personal stories collected from a seniors’ hotline, the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions has released a damning report on the health care offered to seniors in Ontario.

“The report reveals disturbing cases of patients in hospitals and long term care facilities suffering from inadequate care due to government cutbacks,” said Louis Rodrigues, president of CUPE 1974. “Hospital workers have seen their workloads become unbearable because of Harris health care cuts, but the real losers are patients and their families who deserve better care, and for that to happen, staffing levels must increase.”

Entitled “When Seniors Don’t Matter: How Government Cuts Continue to Undermine Health Care”, the 54-page report was a joint project of OCHU and SEIU.

“Mike Harris made headlines by claiming the Liberals have a secret deal with the unions,” said OCHU president Michael Hurley. “I charge that Harris is the one with the secret deal 007700690074h for-profit nursing home chains 0074006f0020take over the operation of all hospital stays over twelve days and privatize the health care system.”

The report has been endorsed by the Ontario Coalition of Senior Citizens’ Organizations. The seniors and hospital workers have issued a list of recommendations to the next government: to reopen closed hospitals, increase funding and staffing, prohibit private health care and create a national home care program.