More budget cuts expected at Sudbury's hospital

Sudbury's hospital will likely have to tighten its budget again next year, according to its chief operating officer. 

Joe Pilon tells CBC News the financial troubles aren't over for Health Sciences North, which had to cut $5.1 million from its budget this year, prompting a backlash from health groups and the public. 

"We have to work with the resources that the government gives us, and spending beyond our means is how Sudbury Regional Hospital got into its problems back in 2000," said Pilon. 

Pilon said the province could take control of the hospital if it doesn't balance its books.

"We're responsible for the dollars that the government gives us and we need to use those as best we can," he said. 

• Hospital says no nurses will lose jobs due to budget cuts

Despite the constraints, Pilon said he agrees with the provincial government's effort to eliminate waste from the health-care system.

Hospitals across northeastern Ontario have been making cuts to meet their budget this spring. 

The Northeast Local Health Integration Network — the agency that manages health-care funding for the region — said the reductions are due to a change in the funding formula from three years ago. 

The Ontario Health Coalition says this is the eighth year of government cuts to hospital budgets across the province.