Health care workers at Kingston General Hospital say measures to help balance the budget could put patients' lives at risk.
"It's a potential disaster not a financial solution," said Anne Clark of the Ontario Nurses' Association.
"If you have decreased staff on a unit and you add one more patient to an RN's workload, you increase the mortality and morbidity for that patient -- studies have shown, by about seven per cent."
The hospital plans to cut 40 acute care beds and eliminate 157 full-time jobs, mainly through attrition, to help deal with a $30 million deficit. The hospital is also considering further reductions of up to 400 positions.
However, unions at the hospital say they don't know which positions will be cut or when the cuts will begin.
"We've had 20 years of cuts at this hospital. It's cut to the bone now," said Ross Sutherland of the Kingston Health Coalition.
Although workers are skeptical cuts will affect patient care, hospital officials insist that won't happen.
Kingston General Hospital, however, is not alone in its fight to eliminate a hefty deficit. By law, Ontario hospitals have to balance their books every year.
"Belleville, Trenton and Picton -- they are looking at eliminating positions. They have problems with funding. There's Ottawa, Cornwall, Brockville -- there are 50 hospitals, that's why we look at it as a provincial problem," said Ken Bethune of CUPE Local 1974.
The provincially appointed supervisor of Kingston General Hospital declined CTV Ottawa's request for an interview.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Kate Eggins
