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HealthCareCAN

The national voice of healthcare organizations and hospitals

HealthCareCAN
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    • Bolster Canada’s Health Workforce
    • Modernize Health Infrastructure
    • Support Better Aging and Older Adult Care
    • Strengthen Health Research and Innovation
    • Empower Lifelong Learning
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Modernize Health Infrastructure

Header_InfrastructurePage

While total health care spending has increased over the last 20 years, Canadian capital investment in health infrastructure has fluctuated, with a noted decline in recent years.1 Healthcare institutions across the country must regularly dip into fundsBest estimates of deferred maintenance in the healthcare sector come from a study conducted in 2015 and was already at a staggering $15.4 to $28 billion at that time2 allocated to updating infrastructure to provide patient care.

This necessity effectively mortgages the future of Canadian healthcare infrastructure, leaving it woefully outdated, environmentally unsound, and at risk for climate change related damage. Most importantly, a lack of investment in healthcare infrastructure undermines patient care and poses potential risks to patient safetyThe 2021 cyberattack against the Newfoundland and Labrador healthcare system resulted in a complete shutdown of the patient booking and health information portals, resulting in thousands of appointments and procedures getting delayed, including chemotherapy treatments..

Federal-provincial-territorial jurisdictional issues are often cited as a major impediment to direct federal investment in healthcare infrastructure and healthcare more broadly. However, the public dismisses these concerns. Polling conducted by Abacus Data for HealthCareCAN in late 2020 shows that the majority of those polled do not care about political jurisdictions and want all levels of government to work together to improve healthcare.

74percent
BiggerRole
80percent

Click on images to expand

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What actions can Canada take to support the health system in addressing its infrastructure challenges?
Why must Canada better support the health system in addressing its infrastructure challenges?
HealthCareCAN actions to support better aging and older adult care

What actions can Canada take to support the health system in addressing its infrastructure challenges?

  • Ensure infrastructure funding reaches the health sector by providing healthcare organizations, such as hospitals, research institutes, health authorities, and long-term care facilities with direct and equal access to federal infrastructure funding.
  • Increase capital investments in healthcare to a minimum of 0.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) (approximately $12.5B) to better align with Canada’s Organsiation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) counterparts.
  • Support the expansion of virtual care and digital health.
  • Improve information technology and digital infrastructure across the health system.
  • Bolster the healthcare sector’s cybersecurity capabilities through investments, programs and standards.
  • Continue enhancing broadband services in rural and remote areas to ensure everyone has access to and the ability to use virtual care and digital health tools.
  • Work with provincial and territorial counterparts to ensure administrative and regulatory policies are in place to support virtual care.

Why must Canada better support the health system in addressing its infrastructure challenges?

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the serious challenges facing Canada’s health infrastructure.

In long-term care, multiple-bed rooms did not allow for proper implementation of infection prevention and control protocols, and older facilities fared far worseIn Ontario, the Office of the Auditor General’s blistering report identified that overcrowding and a lack of room for isolation made it nearly impossible to observe proper infection control protocols and concluded infrastructure was a major contributing factor to the high death toll.3 in terms of cases and deaths.

In acute care, hospitals often could not keep up with the volume of COVID-19 patients because they lacked the space and equipment needed to treat them.

In primary and specialty care, providers quickly shifted to providing virtual services, but often had to implement digital platforms and tools as they went. Canada’s digital health systems, fragmented across jurisdictions, made it difficult to collect comprehensive data on the association between infection rates and socio-economic factors, geographic location, and age and hindered the sharing of critical patient information across organizations.

Further, the combination of legacy technology, remote work without robust cyber security measures, and highly sensitive information has made healthcare a highly lucrative targetIn 2020 there was an increase of over 45% in cyberattacks, the largest increase by sector. for cyber criminals.

And finally, a lack of health-related manufacturing infrastructure and capabilities meant Canada could not produce much-needed personal protective equipment, drugs, and vaccines domestically.

Providing healthcare organizations with direct and equal access to existing infrastructure funding programs will:

  • Ensure that Canada’s healthcare organizations (hospitals, research institutes, health authorities, and long-term care homes) are less reliant on funding that flows to the provinces and territories, and possibly further to municipalitieswho often overlook the need to invest in health facilities, thinking that these vital public buildings fall within the purview of health ministries and will be addressed through healthcare funding..

Increasing investments in health system infrastructure will:

  • Increase efficiency.
  • Reduce wait-times.Canada’s average bed occupancy rate between 2000 and 2015 was 91.6%, which far surpasses the average of 75.7% among 27 OECD countries.
  • Improve patient outcomes.
  • Provide critically needed surge capacity in the system.
  • Strengthen the resilience, sustainability and equity of the health system.
  • Position Canada’s economy for growth and prosperity by creating jobs.
  • Help Canada reach its net-zero emissions target.

Supporting the expansion of virtual care and digital health will:

  • Allow practitioners and researchers to provide better care for patients.
  • Facilitate research, treatments, and better collaboration.
  • Significantly reduce CO2 emissions.

Improving information technology and digital infrastructure across the health system will:

  • Reduce the lag in real-time national health data and better align Canada’s capabilities with other countries.
  • Break down barriers to patient care for patients transferred between different institutions, care settings, or provinces/territories.
  • Ensure patients can access their own medical information, and healthcare providers can easily access a patient’s medical history to provide the best treatment possible.
  • Allow researchers to leverage health data across institutions and jurisdictions.

Bolstering the healthcare sector’s cybersecurity capabilities through investments, programs and standards will:

  • Help address the rise in cyberattacks on the Canadian healthcare system.
  • Allow healthcare organizations to assess where they currently rate in terms of cyber resilience and benchmark their progress.
  • Allow healthcare organizations to develop a mature understanding of their current position and to make the investments necessary to improve it.
  • Reduce the frequency of cyberattacks brought on by human errors by helping healthcare organizations to invest in educating healthcare personnel about cybersecurity and good cyber hygiene.

Continuing to enhance broadband services in rural and remote areas will:

  • Improve access to healthcare services across jurisdictions for patients traveling out of province, beyond just emergency care servicesCurrently, the Canada Health Act allows for healthcare coverage for people away from their home province or territory through the portability criterion. While this seems like it would enable greater virtual care options, in reality the portability criterion is limited to only covering emergency care for people temporarily in another province or territory..

Working with provincial and territorial counterparts to ensure administrative and regulatory policies are in place to support virtual care will:

  • Help to break down the current fee structure barrier that requires both patient and provider to be in the same jurisdiction, hindering access to health care services.
  • Help to realize the true potential of virtual care, particularly in remote areas that would truly benefit from greater access to medical care and innovative ways of delivering care.

Annual capital expenditure on health as % of GDP (2015‑2019) by type of asset (click image to expand)

InfraSpendingOECD_2

Source: OECD. 2021. Health at a Glance 2021: OECD Indicators.

% of Canadians that believe investing in health care technology should be a top government priority.

80percent

Source: Canada Health Infoway. 2020. Executive Summary: Consulting Canadians on the Future of Their Health System – A Healthy Dialogue.

Canadians’ preference for first point of contact when seeking medical advice from a doctor

VirtualPreference

Source: Canadian Medical Association. 2020. Virtual care is real care: National poll shows Canadians are overwhelmingly satisfied with virtual health care.

% of Canadians open to sharing their anonymized health data

80percent

Source: Canada Health Infoway. 2020. Executive Summary: Consulting Canadians on the Future of Their Health System – A Healthy Dialogue.

HealthCareCAN actions to support the health system in addressing its infrastructure challenges

Recent and related letters, statements, media appearances, and press releases

Changes to Cabinet but health research challenges remain the same
July 26, 2023

Walking the Talk: Healthcare transformation needed now
July 12, 2023

Improving access to palliative care starts with better data collection - HealthCareCAN op-ed in the Hill Times
May 11, 2023

HealthCareCAN continues to connect with federal health, research and innovation decision-makers
April 4, 2023

Budget 2023 a missed opportunity to strengthen health research in Canada
March 28, 2023

HealthCareCAN advocacy efforts on behalf of members recognized
March 21, 2023

Improving the health system for patients, providers, and researchers focus of HealthCareCAN meeting with Shadow Minister of Health Stephen Ellis 
February 21, 2023

Band-Aids or a New Healthcare System: In Conversation with Dr. Michael Gardam on the Necessary Conditions for Transforming Healthcare in Canada. Listen now!
February 16, 2023

Will More Money Fix Canada's Health Care System? HealthCareCAN Board Chair, Dr. Michael Gardam on TVO's The Agenda with Steve Paiken
February 10, 2023

Dr. Michael Gardam, Chair of HealthCareCAN's Board of Directors discusses the federal health funding announcement on CPAC. Watch @15:45
February 8, 2023

Now the real work begins: Healthcare needs true systems approach
February 7, 2023

Here’s what Canadians want as high-stakes health summit begins: ‘A significant shift’ - Interview with Dr. Michael Gardam, Chair, HealthCareCAN Board of Directors
February 7, 2023

Canada promised to fix health care almost 20 years ago. It’s looking to get things right once more - Interview with Dr. Michael Gardam, HealthCareCAN Board Chair
February 4, 2023

No more debates: First Ministers’ meeting on health must lead to action
February 3, 2023

Dr. Michael Gardam, HealthCareCAN's Board Chair & CEO of Health PEI on CTV's Power Play to discuss solutions for Canada's healthcare crisis (play at 28:54)
December 14, 2022

For a world-class health system, Canada needs to think bigger.
November 28, 2022

HealthCareCAN calls for political leaders to step up in wake of health ministers’ meeting 
November 9, 2022

Health care providers to Canadian governments: this is our prescription for hope
November 4, 2022

Mental health is health: it’s time we act like it
October 3, 2022

A history of political inertia has contributed to today’s healthcare challenges. It’s time that changed.
July 28, 2022

Health-care advocates, premiers calling for urgent first ministers’ meeting to address challenges facing system’s sustainability - Hill Times Interview with Paul-Émile Cloutier, president and CEO, HealthCareCAN
July 18, 2022

Recent and related government submissions and policy documents

Canada’s healthcare: Promoting transformation of the system
Health human resources / Infrastructure / Long-term care / Mental health / Patient safety / Research & innovation / Year 2023

The urgent need to re-imagine older adult care in Canada
Indigenous health / Infrastructure / Long-term care / Patient safety / Year 2023

Submission to the Standing Committee on Science and Research: Study on International Moonshot Programs
Infrastructure / Research & innovation / Year 2023

HealthCareCAN submission to Finance Canada’s 2023 Pre-Budget Consultations
Health human resources / Infrastructure / Long-term care / Mental health / Pre-budget submissions / Research & innovation / Year 2023

Building a climate-resilient healthcare system: The importance of adaptation & health infrastructure
Infrastructure / Year 2022

You may also be interested in:

  • HealthCareCAN’s Press releases & statements
  • HealthCareCAN’s Policy documents & government submissions
  • HealthCareCAN’s Vice Presidents of Research Committee
  • HealthCareCAN’s Health Human Resources Advisory Committee
  • HealthCareCAN’s News
  • HealthCareCAN’s “From the CEO’s Desk” Blog

Our voice is stronger, together.

To become a HealthCareCAN member or learn more about our member benefits, contact us at membership@healthcarecan.ca

  • OUR WORK
    • Bolster Canada’s Health Workforce
    • Modernize Health Infrastructure
    • Strengthen Health Research and Innovation
    • Support Better Aging and Older Adult Care
    • Empower Lifelong Learning

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  • About us
    • Our Vision & Mission
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    • Our Team
  • Our Work
    • Bolster Canada’s Health Workforce
    • Modernize Health Infrastructure
    • Support Better Aging and Older Adult Care
    • Strengthen Health Research and Innovation
    • Empower Lifelong Learning
  • Our Membership
    • Our Members
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  • News & Events
    • From the CEO’s Desk
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      • H on the Hill
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