HealthCareCAN is disappointed that another meeting of the Council of the Federation has come and gone, and once again the premiers were unable to agree on concrete proposals for immediate action to address the nation’s biggest challenge: healthcare.
That said, HealthCareCAN supports the Council’s call for an increase to federal healthcare funding and a meeting between the premiers and Prime Minister. It is beyond time for our political leaders at all levels to come together in collaboration with health leaders for an adult conversation that will lead to concrete, realistic, and achievable solutions that can address the challenges our health system is facing, including putting an end to the health workforce shortages and medical procedure backlogs. The health of people in Canada hangs in the balance.
Addressing these challenges requires more than just money; it requires taking steps right now to relieve pressure on the system. HealthCareCAN’s open letter to the Council of the Federation, which presses for a concrete plan on how to re-envision the health system to better serve the needs of people in Canada, includes recommendations that do not require additional federal funding, and can be implemented by the premiers immediately:
- Collaborate to align licensing across the country to enable healthcare workers to provide care across jurisdictions, which would relieve pressure on the system and help better serve rural and remote communities.
- Work with health educators and regulators to streamline the licensing process for qualified internationally educated health professionals so they can get into the health system sooner.
HealthCareCAN‘s open letter also calls for the implementation of a pan-Canadian health workforce planning strategy with the goal of gathering workforce data and developing solutions to tackle the chronic shortage of healthcare workers and address the factors hindering recruitment and retention.
These actions will go a long way in filling vacancies and making sure healthcare facilities can continue providing the care people need when they need it. They will also ensure our health system, which was built for a different time and purpose, can keep serving the needs of people in Canada, now and in the future.
We have been trying to solve Canada’s health human resources problem for decades and it is time to try bold, new approaches. Our healthcare system is currently on life support. The failure to have an open and honest conversation about one of Canada’s most cherished programs threatens to lead to a “code blue” situation.
Paul-Émile Cloutier, President and CEO
HealthCareCAN
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