Taking
      Aim
      at
      Fixing
      Health
      Care
      “For
      a
      Generation”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Just
      as
      the
      attention
      of
      our
      nation
      was
      focused
      on
     
     
      the
      World
      Cup
      Championships
      and
      on
      the
      stalled
      collective
     
     
      bargaining
      agreement
      talks
      (or
      lack
      thereof)
      between
      the
     
     
      NHLPA
      and
      the
      club
      owners,
      another
      drama
      was
      being
     
     
      played
      out
      in
      the
      backrooms
      of
      Ottawa
      as
      the
      First
      Minister's
      Conference
     
     
      took
      aim
      at
      fixing
      and
      enhancing
      the
      current
      health-care
      system.
     
    

    
     
      There
      are
      many
      perceptions
      as
      to
      what
      sectors
      of
      the
      Cure
      health-
     
     
      care
      system
      are
      in
      most
      critical
      need
      of
      repair.
      Many
     
     
      say
      that
      wait
      times
      for
      surgery
      and
      other
      such
      proce-
     
     
      dures
      are
      far
      too
      long;
      others
      focus
      on
      shortcomings
      in
     
     
      pharmacare
      and
      homecare,
      while
      others
      point
      to
      the
     
     
      administration
      of
      funds
      as
      being
      one
      of
      the
      major
      prob-
     
     
      lems
      facing
      the
      system
      today.
      With
      a
      variety
      of
      con-
     
     
      trasting
      opinions,
      thirteen
      provincial
      and
      territorial
     
     
      leaders
      and
      Prime
      Minister
      Paul
      Martin,
      who
      vowed
      to
     
     
      "fix
      healthcare
      for
      a
      generation"
      in
      the
      most
      recent
     
     
      election
      campaign,
      met
      in
      Ottawa
      two
      weeks
      ago
      for
     
     
      healthcare
      talks
      aimed
      at
      hammering
      out
      a
      long-term
     
     
      deal
      for
      sustainability
      of
      our
      health
      system.
     
    

    
     
      The
      provincial
      Premiers,
      having
      had
      the
      opportunity
      to
      develop
      a
     
     
      cohesive
      plan
      and
      a
      collective
      front
      on
      issues
      facing
      healthcare
      at
      this
     
     
      summer's
      Council
      of
      the
      Federation
      Conference
      and
      at
      pursuant
      meet-
     
     
      ings
      in
      Toronto,
      were
      perhaps
      more
      prepared
      and
      united
      than
      usual.
     
     
      Selected
      by
      their
      peers,
      Dalton
      McGuinty
      of
      Ontario,
      Jean
      Charest
      of
     
     
      Quebec,
      and
      New
      Brunswick's
      Bernard
      Lord
      were
      chosen
      to
      lead
      the
     
     
      talks
      on
      behalf
      of
      the
      Premiers.
      The
      main
      goal
      for
      the
      Premiers
      was
     
     
      increasing
      the
      amount
      of
      federal
      funding
      for
      health
      and
      to
      convince
      Paul
     
     
      Martin
      and
      his
      government
      that
      the
      $9
      billion
      blueprint
      that
      had
      been
     
     
      announced
      earlier
      was
      simply
      not
      enough.
      However,
      there
      were
      still
      dis-
     
     
      crepancies
      in
      the
      views
      held
      by
      the
      various
      premiers:
      The
      Maritime
     
     
      Premiers,
      (Binns,
      Lord
      and
      Hamm)
      all
      expressed
      a
      certain
      level
      of
      inter-
     
     
      est
      at
      looking
      more
      intently
      at
      equalization
      payments
      during
      the
      meet-
     
     
      ings.
      This
      issue
      is
      vitally
      important
      to
      the
      Atlantic
      Provinces,
      particular-
     
     
      ly
      PEI,
      whose
      equalization
      share
      has
      dropped
      by
      $23
      million
      since
      2000
     
     
      and
      which
      accounts
      for
      almost
      one-quarter
      of
      the
      entire
      budget
      revenue.
     
     
      Premiers
      such
      as
      McGuinty,
      Campbell,
      Calvert
      and
      Handley
      were
      also
     
     
      interested
      in
      the
      idea
      of
      further
      pursuing
      the
      pharmacare
      initiative
      that
     
     
      they
      discussed
      earlier
      this
      year.
     
    

    
     
      Following
      up
      on
      promises
      he
      made
      during
      the
      election,
      Martin
     
     
      was
      looking
      to
      close
      a
      long-term
      deal
      that
      would
      see
      new
      monies
      going
     
     
      into
      healthcare
      across
      the
      country.
      He
      has
      made
      it
      clear
      that
      he
      wants
      to
     
     
      make
      reducing
      wait-times
      a
      top
      priority
      during
      his
      term
      in
      office.
     
    

    
     
      Currently,
      heathcare
      expenditures
      by
      both
      the
      respective
      govern-
     
     
      ments
      and
      by
      the
      public
      sector
      topped
      $93.2
      billion
      last
      year,
      according
     
     
      to
      the
      Canadian
      Institute
      for
      Health
      Information.
      In
      his
      health-care
      com-
     
     
      mission
      report,
      Roy
      Romanow
      emphasized
      that
      accountability
      for
      this
     
     
      money
      needs
      to
      be
      enshrined
      within
      the
      Canada
      Health
      Act
      so
      as
      to
     
     
      ensure
      that
      money
      is
      going
      where
      it
      should
      be
      directed.
      Michael
      Decter
     
     
      of
      the
      National
      Health
      Council
      also
      thinks
      that
      these
      funds
      should
      be
     
     
      monitored
      so
      as
      to
      see
      if
      focused
      spending
      is
      actually
      improving
      situa-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tions.
      "There
      should
      be
      a
      lot
      more
      value-for-money
      work
     
     
      in
      the
      health
      sector."
      He
      said.
      "I'm
      all
      for
      that
      kind
      of
     
     
      accountability."
     
    

    
     
      Canadians
      also
      weighed
      in
      with
      thet
      opinions
      on
      the
     
     
      state
      of
      the
      health
      system,
      yet
      many
      remained
      unconvinced
      that
      the
      |
     
     
      Provincial-Federal
      summit
      would
      actually
      yield
      results.
      In
      a
      CTV
      and
     
     
      Globe
      and
      Mail
      poll,
      it
      was
      found
      that
      59%
      of
      respondents
      did
      not
      expect
     
     
      much
      to
      come
      out
      of
      the
      meeting.
      "It's
      like
      a
      reality
     
     
      TV
      show."
      Said
      Dr.
      Luc
      Bessette,
      an
      emergency-
     
     
      room
      doctor
      who
      has
      worked
      in
      the
      system
      for
      23
     
     
      years.
      "They're
      performing
      for
      the
      cameras...
      They
     
     
      have
      to
      look
      at
      new
      ways
      of
      delivering
      care
      and
     
     
      defining
      what
      the
      security
      blanket
      is."
     
    

    
     
      Christian
      Bourque
      of
      Léger
      Marketing
      in
     
     
      Montréal
      attributed
      the
      lack
      of
      interest
      on
      behalf
      of
     
     
      Canadians
      to
      the
      sheer
      blandness
      of
      the
      material
     
     
      being
      discussed.
      She
      said
      that
      average
      citizens
     
     
      would
      have
      probably
      been
      more
      interested
      had
      the
     
     
      topics
      remained
      focused
      on
      the
      redefining
      of
      healthcare
      for
      the
      future
     
     
      instead
      of
      simply
      throwing
      numbers
      around.
      "People
      are
      not
      paying
     
     
      attention
      beyond
      ‘What
      is
      the
      dollar
      amount?’
      It
      [has]
      cornered
      our
      polit-
     
     
      ical
      elite
      into
      having
      a
      single-issue
      debate."
      She
      added.
      -
     
    

    
     
      After
      watching
      cuts
      to
      health-care
      over
      the
      past
      few
      decades,
      the
     
     
      general
      consensus
      among
      many
      citizens
      was
      the
      sense
      that
      one
      meeting
     
     
      could
      not
      cure
      all
      that
      ails
      the
      system,
      and
      that
      perhaps
      the
      presence
      of
     
     
      cameras
      would
      further
      hinder
      the
      process
      suggested
      Darrell
      Bricker,
     
     
      president
      of
      Ipsos-Reid.
      Initially,
      all
      the
      meetings
      were
      convened
      in
      front
     
     
      of
      the
      cameras,
      a
      move
      suggested
      earlier
      this
      summer
      by
      Paul
      Martin
      in
     
     
      order
      to
      provide
      a
      degree
      of
      transparency
      in
      the
      system.
      However,
      by
     
     
      Tuesday,
      the
      second
      day
      of
      meetings,
      it
      was
      obvious
      that
      the
      two
      sides
     
     
      had
      reached
      an
      impasse
      and
      it
      was
      only
      after
      lengthy
      meetings
      behind
     
     
      closed
      doors
      at
      the
      Prime
      Minister's
      residence
      at
      24
      Sussex
      Drive
      that
      a
     
     
      deal
      began
      to
      take
      shape.
      They
      emerged
      from
      their
      final
      closed
      session
     
     
      early
      Thursday
      morning
      to
      announce
      the
      product
      of
      their
      four
      days
      of
     
     
      negotiations.
      They
      announced
      that
      Ottawa
      will
      transfer
      an
      additional
      $18
     
     
      billion
      to
      the
      provinces
      over
      the
      next
      six
      years,
      with
      $41
      billion
      over
      the
     
     
      next
      decade.
      With
      commitments
      to
      setting
      benchmarks
      after
      consultation
     
     
      with
      workers
      and
      officials
      in
      the
      health-care
      profession,
      the
      pact
      also
     
     
      outlined
      that
      by
      December
      31st,
      2005
      benchmarks
      will
      have
      been
      put
      in
     
     
      place
      that
      would
      define
      reasonable
      waiting
      times
      for
      medical
      procedures.
     
     
      Equalization
      payments
      are
      also
      set
      to
      increase
     
     
      by
      $1.3
      billion.
     
    

    
     
      While
      some
      are
      cynical
      as
      to
      the
      sustainability
      of
      this
      current
     
     
      pact,
      the
      fact
      that
      all
      fourteen
      parties
      came
      away
      with
      some
      semblance
     
     
      of
      an
      agreement
      is
      in
      itself
      remarkable.
      However,
      many
      of
      the
      concerns
     
     
      mentioned
      in
      the
      Romanow
      and
      Senate
      Reports
      on
      health
      care
      remain
      to
     
     
      be
      addressed.
      The
      results
      of
      this
      meeting
      will
      not
      be
      apparent
      for
      months
     
     
      to
      come,
      but
      from
      initial
      reports,
      it
      is,
      at
      least,
      a
      step
      in
      the
      right
      direc-
     
     
      tion.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      Cadre
      September
      28,
      2004
      page
      14