A clearly happy Deb Matthews, speaking to a throng of shouting children, announced $19.6 million in funding for the expansion of Toronto East General Hospital (TEGH) on Wednesday.

Children from the R. H. McGregor school wait for Deb Matthews to speak. (John Michael McGrath/QP Briefing)

Children from the R. H. McGregor school wait for Deb Matthews to speak. (John Michael McGrath/QP Briefing)

The Ontario minister for health and long-term care said the money is part of committed, ongoing funding for hospital upgrades and won't be held hostage to the fate of the spring budget May 1.

"This is moving ahead. This is a commitment we made some time ago. I suppose, a new government could, theoretically put a halt to it, but I can't imagine anybody would."

The money will go to the building of an eight-storey patient-care building, partially demolishing one part of the existing hospital in east-end Toronto.

Matthews' remarks were frequently interrupted by cheers, as the children brought to the event from the R.H. McGregor Elementary School across the street were told they could scream loudly at every use of the word "hospital."

Listen to "Matthews says the word hospital, children cheer" on Audioboo.

Some children were later chosen to ask Matthews questions, such as what a Health Minister does, and what her favourite part of the job is.

Hospital CEO Rob Devitt said the new design will increase the bed count only modestly, but many more (close to 80 per cent) will be in single-bed rooms.

"In terms of patient comfort, hospital acquired infection, the idea of having private rooms is so much better," Devitt said. There is also an improvement in efficiency, as currently TEGH has to isolate patients who have an infection concern in multi-bed rooms.

A higher proportion of private rooms in the hospital will mean fewer beds left idle where infection is a concern. The government is increasingly moving towards a greater proportion of private rooms in its hospital spending both for patient comfort and for greater efficiency.

The TEGH expansion will be built on the current site of the hospital's southern parking lot, which will be replaced by two storeys of underground parking. The hospital will also reconfigure its entrance on Coxwell Avenue to allow for a smoother flow of traffic.

The expansion should be complete by 2022, with the main tower opening in early 2020.

Matthews announces east-end Toronto hospital expansion

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