A health-care worker is seen at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022.
Last fall’s ‘tripledemic’ of COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus among children that slammed pediatric hospitals across Canada cost over $60 million in economic loss due to days parents — particularly mothers — had to miss work, according to new research. The data, released last week by the charity Child First Canada, is part of a comprehensive analysis of government investments into children’s health in Canada.
It found only a fraction of health-care spending is allocated to health services for children and youth in Canada. This lack of adequate resourcing is not only leading to poor health outcomes for children, it also comes with significant economic costs.