December 16, 2021 (Ottawa) – HealthCareCAN was heartened to see the Chief Public Health Officer’s annual report released this week echo our call for a strong, collaborative and pan-Canadian approach to strengthening Canada’s health system to meet future challenges.
For our health system to emerge stronger post-pandemic, including being better prepared and coordinated as a nation for matters related to public health, Canada must keep up the momentum gained over the past two years. To achieve this, leaders at all levels of government must set aside political divides and work collaboratively on concrete solutions to Canada’s most pressing health needs.
This means developing a national health workforce planning strategy, improving availability and access to mental health supports for Canadians, and providing access to long-term, sustainable and consistent funding for both public health and health research.
Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said it well when she stated that “The public health system lacks the necessary resources and tools to carry out its critical work, and is the subject of “boom and bust” funding cycles that leave us ill-prepared in the face of new threats.” This pattern of funding, which can also be applied to health research, ironically acts as a barrier to innovation, growth and sustainability in the long-term as it prevents “future-proofing” our public health system.
We have a generational opportunity to apply lessons learned to better support public health in Canada, eliminate inequities and gaps in our health system and create a more resilient, safe and inclusive one that serves the health needs of all the people of Canada, when they need it, where they need it.
HealthCareCAN and its members are eager to collaborate with all levels of government to begin this important work. We must all do what we can to ensure our health system can bear this scourge, this means getting vaccinated, getting our booster shots and keeping our distance.
Paul-Émile Cloutier
President & CEO
HealthCareCAN is the national voice of healthcare organizations and hospitals across Canada. We foster informed and continuous, results-oriented discovery and innovation across the continuum of healthcare.
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Media contact: Alexandria Rowe, Communications and Member Services
ARowe@healthcarecan.ca
855-236-0213/613-241-8005 ext. 221 │ Cell: 613-220-1023
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