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First Ministers' Meeting on future of health care
On September 13, the First Ministers' Meeting on Health gets under way in Ottawa, with Prime Minister Paul Martin and provincial premiers and territorial leaders, working together to develop a ten year plan to strengthen and enhance our treasured system of health care.
September 13, 2004
Ottawa, Ontario
The next First Ministers’ Meeting will be held on October 26, 2004 to discuss Equalization, Territorial Formula Financing (TFF) and provide an opportunity for a discussion of other financial pressures facing provinces and territories.
On September 13, the First Ministers' Meeting on Health gets under way in Ottawa, with Prime Minister Paul Martin and provincial premiers and territorial leaders, working together to develop a ten year plan to strengthen and enhance our treasured system of health care.
Critical to this effort will be the need to improve access to doctors, nurses and other health providers and to reduce waiting times for key treatments and tests. As so many of the provinces have demonstrated through innovative efforts in select areas, lower waiting times and wait times management lead to better care for patients, more efficient health care and, greater public confidence in Medicare.
Achieving such a plan will require cooperation in three key areas. First, a ten year approach to real reforms must be mounted to address the availability of doctors and nurses in communities across the country, home care services, a national strategy on pharmaceuticals, primary care reform as well as aboriginal and public health. Second, a corresponding ten year plan on adequate financing of health care must be secured so that provinces and territories can be assured of predictable, steady increases in cash transfers for health. Third, and finally, there needs to be evidence-based benchmarks and comparable, meaningful information on system performance and health outcomes to guide decisions and to allow Canadians to monitor progress.
Prime Minister Martin has opened the meeting to live television coverage, so all Canadians have an opportunity to see their leaders at work on one of Canada's most prized social programs.
Above all else, the meeting will require political will and leadership. Putting in place a ten year plan for health care will require cooperation and collaboration by all levels of government, health experts, stakeholders and Canadians themselves.
Click to view the First Ministers’ Meeting website
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