(OTTAWA) The federal government supports the first ministers’ call for a five-year review of health care funding, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said in letters sent to his provincial counterparts.
The premiers have called for regular reviews to be established as part of the talks, saying the system needs predictability.
Duclos’ letter to Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé says bilateral agreement must include working on certain health indicators, agreeing to provide “equity of access” to underserved groups and to enforce the Canada Health Act to strengthen the public health system. Adherence to “mutual respect for the competences of each government” is also included.
The bilateral agreement structure also includes a commitment to simplify foreign credential recognition for internationally trained health professionals and to advance labor mobility, “starting with the recognition licensing of health professionals between provinces and territories”.
Provinces must also provide an action plan outlining how funds will be spent and how progress will be measured and reported.
Duclos writes that the review would include two stages, the first to examine the results and determine next steps with respect to existing bilateral funding agreements that the provinces entered into with Ottawa in 2017 to improve mental health programs and home care.
The second step would be to formally review the current agreement which is being put in place for five years.
“This review will take into account results to date on shared health priorities of family health services, health care workers and surgical backlogs, mental health and addictions, and modernization of the health care system,” writes Mr. Duclos. It would include an assessment of progress using common indicators.
Canada’s premiers have written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking for a review process to be established as part of the health care funding talks.
Ottawa has offered more than $46 billion to provinces and territories to boost the Canada Health Transfer, but the country’s premiers say it’s not enough to meet the sustainability or structural needs of their provincial health systems.
The premiers say in a letter sent Thursday that they are ready to accept the offer for the time being, but that further discussions are needed to establish longer-term predictability and stability in health care.
They want a formal federal-provincial-territorial review process to look at the bilateral funding agreements the provinces reached with Ottawa in 2017 to improve mental health and home care programs.
They want a similar process to review the new deal, which will include both an increase in the Canada Health Transfer and specific funding for priority areas like family doctors, surgical wait lists and systems. health data.
“Further constructive discussions are needed to achieve our common goals and to provide the longer-term predictability and stability that Canadians expect when it comes to their health care systems,” they write in the letter.
“We believe it is important to continue these necessary discussions to ensure the future of health care services across the country. »