‘It’s going to bankrupt health care’: Spending on temp agency nurses up more than 550% since pre-pandemic at one Toronto hospital network.
A nurse who works in a temp health care agency said she is worried about being able to afford rent in the fall and has started to apply for a small, affordable apartment.
Natalie Zuckerman, who works in an agency called Care Team, said it’s clear the COVID-19 crisis is impacting the health sector, especially with a lack of nurses because so many are working in the retail sector.
“I’m not working in a hospital right now, they’ve just laid off nurses, nurses are losing their jobs. It’s really hard for them right now,” said Zuckerman.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in Toronto, one employer laid off almost 130 nurses. The impact was felt at both medical and retail health care facilities. At one Toronto hospital, the number of registered nurses at the facility dropped from 10 to seven with the most senior health workers leaving due to changes in health care.
In March, it emerged that the health care sector has been hit hard by the global pandemic, with nearly 90,000 workers out of work. And as the Toronto Star reported, over 1,000 doctors and over 800 other health professionals have been laid off since the crisis started.
The Star also reported that more than 200 of the province’s top cancer specialists are out of work, including Dr. Daniel Knoepfler, the Toronto-area head of surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital.
On Thursday, Dr. Knoepfler spoke to the Star about the crisis, including how he and his wife have been forced to take paid sick leave, even though they have fully recovered from cancer. He was laid off from his $310,000-a-year job with Mount Sinai.
“It is so frustrating, especially for