Three hospital unions have slammed the Ottawa Hospital plan to slash 290 jobs to help balance its budget.
90 full-time nursing positions will be chopped. More than 100 positions in adminstration will also be cut.
The unions say cutting jobs means longer waiting lists and poor patient care.
"'The loss of more than 100 thousand hours a year of hands on front line nursing care in the Ottawa Hospital means that our patients face a higher risk of suffering from complications and death", said Frances Smith of the Ontario Nurses Association
The Ottawa Hospital is facing a 31 million dollar shortfall in the current fiscal year.
The unions fear this is just the start of another cycle of health care cuts.
"' This is just the start of a big five year wave" explained Bruce Waller of CUPE.
The Ottawa Hospital's budget is more than one billion dollars.
