Some Toronto hospitals are cancelling appointments to keep patients safe

Feb 4 2022, 8:50 pm

Toronto hospitals are taking the threat of the “Freedom Convoy” seriously and cancelling some appointments ahead of the arrival of protestors.

SickKids and Women’s College Hospital are among the hospitals on hospital row that have adjusted their schedules to prioritize patient safety.

“Our top priority is the safety and well-being of SickKids patients, families and staff. We are continuing to monitor the situation closely and will be prepared to respond accordingly to ensure safe, continued hospital operations,” a spokesperson for SickKids told DailyHive in an email.

Some non-urgent appointments at SickKids are being postponed in light of the convoy arriving in Toronto.

“Plans are in place to help ensure staffing levels are maintained, and any disruptions to patient care are minimized,” the spokesperson said. “Our top priority is the safety and well-being of SickKids patients, families and staff. We are continuing to monitor the situation closely and will be prepared to respond accordingly to ensure safe, continued hospital operations.”

A spokesperson from Women’s College Hospital echoed these sentiments. Women’s College Hospital does not operate an emergency department or large in-patient units like some other hospitals on hospital row. Despite this, they made the decision to reschedule some appointments and pivot some to virtual.

“Out of an abundance of caution, in response to the planned demonstrations at Queens Park, the decision was made for some clinics to shift some appointments to either earlier times, reschedule to next week, or move to virtual platforms if it was safe and feasible to do so,” a spokesperson for the hospital said.

The spokesperson added that traffic at the hospital is relatively low on weekends, and they intend to continue offering a number of services over the weekend.

Daily Hive reached out to UHN and Mount Sinai for their plans but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

An Ontario MPP tweeted that her partner’s appointment at Mount Sinai had been cancelled in light of the convoy’s arrival. Marit Stiles, MPP for Davenport, said that the appointment was just a check-up.

Many people responded to her tweet with stories of their own appointments being cancelled or changed to virtual. Some had prenatal appointments cancelled. One user said that all ultrasound appointments at SickKids had been cancelled. Another shared that their child’s diagnostic appointment was postponed.

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