The Ontario government is providing Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) with almost $8.2 million to support hospital operations and help reduce wait times.
Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith joined PRHC president and CEO Dr. Lynn Mikula at the hospital on Friday morning (August 28) to announce the $8,193,000 investment.
The funding is part of a $1.1-billion investment in Ontario’s hospital sector included in the 2026 provincial budget. According to the province, the investment represents a four per cent increase in annual hospital funding for the fourth consecutive year.
“This investment is a major win for families in Peterborough-Kawartha,” MPP Smith said in a media release. “By strengthening core clinical services at PRHC, we are ensuring our local hospital has the reliable funding needed to shorten wait times, expand diagnostic imaging, and deliver high-quality care closer to home.”
According to the release, the funding will support the operation of PRHC’s core clinical services as the regional hospital responds to growing patient demand.
Along with helping PRHC maintain around-the-clock emergency department operations and manage inflationary and wage pressures, the funding is aimed at reducing wait times for surgical and diagnostic procedures, including MRI and CT scans, cardiac and stroke care, neurological services, orthopedic procedures, and cataract surgeries.
“Over the last several years, Peterborough Regional Health Centre has been strategically investing into the care we provide and how we provide it,” Dr. Mikula said.
“Provincial investments like this one are critical to furthering ongoing work in priority areas at PRHC, including the continued growth and expansion of our leading-edge data and analytics program and establishing a command centre to support real-time decision-making and improve access to care across the hospital.”
Dr. Mikula thanked MPP Smith, Ontario Health, and the Ministry of Health for the funding, which she said recognizes the work and achievements of PRHC staff over the past year to help patients access care closer to home.
“We remain deeply committed to achieving the ambitious goals we have set out for ourselves, and to ensuring we continue to provide the best possible care and service to the 600,000 people we serve across this region,” Dr. Mikula added.
In a statement, deputy premier and health minister Sylvia Jones said the funding will allow PRHC to continue providing care while reducing wait lists and wait times.
“Our government is making historic investments to protect Ontario’s health-care system, ensuring that more people in the Peterborough region can connect to the care they need, where and when they need it,” Jones said.
The PRHC funding announcement follows an August 11 announcement of more than $7.6 million in provincial funding for Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay.
That funding included $3,765,800 from the same $1.1-billion provincial investment to support hospital operations and reduce wait times, as well as $3,866,243 for infrastructure upgrades and repairs.
The infrastructure funding for Ross Memorial Hospital will support the replacement of sections of the hospital’s aging roof as well as upgrades to its chilled-water distribution system, heat exchangers, HVAC pumps, flooring, and sanitary waste and vent piping.
The province says it plans to invest approximately $64 billion in major health infrastructure over the next decade, including more than 50 major hospital projects that are expected to add around 3,000 hospital beds across Ontario.
