QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC -- 07/18/08 --
Where are the Premiers and the Council of Federation on the most acute issues facing our Canadian public health care system? Issues like: Skills' shortages, staff retention, working condition and workforce renewal issues. The effects of creeping privatization. The impacts of the rising costs of prescription drugs.
The question is being asked by Linda Silas, president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) and Lina Bonamie, president of the Federation interprofessionnelle de la sante du Quebec (FIQ), who represent 215 000 health professionals from coast to coast. The question follows the release of a document, titled "Achieving Our Health Care Vision: Key Considerations for Premiers," summarizing a one-day think-tank held in Quebec City on the eve of the Premiers' meeting. Focussing on the most pressing issues facing our public health care system, the think-tank gathered some seventy-five health professionals, experts, academics, administrators and executives of various professional organizations in the health care field.
"The people that make the system work, for Canadians who need it, feel let down by our Premiers' silence on the real issues," says Linda Silas, president of the CFNU. "For instance, right now all we get from the Premiers is silence on human resources shortages in health care. Every day of silence on such an issue is a betrayal of Canadians' pride in their health care system."
"Sustaining the public health care system and the people's confidence in the system is a central item in the Premiers' job description," says FIQ president Lina Bonamie. "The Premiers are irresponsible to run away from this important duty."
The "Key Considerations for Premiers" are that:
- Privatization and P3s are not the way to go.
- Issues of retention and renewal of Canada's health care workforce have reached crisis levels in many parts of the country and need to be addressed through a concerted, pan-Canadian approach that involves all governments and includes:
- Creating funds -with a return in service component - to cover the
education costs of badly needed health professionals;
- Revamping the apprenticeship program under Employment Insurance to
include health care professionals and enable them to maintain and upgrade
their skills;
- Creating a culture of safety through Healthy Workplace Initiative.
- A national pharmacare program is key to keeping health care costs manageable. Provinces need to work together and with the federal government to realize this end.
- Canadians expect wise, prudent and cautious spending of public funds. Greater transparency and informed public debate are needed about how our health care dollars are spent.
The CFNU and FIQ leaders both stressed that "there is an urgency to these issues that no single province can usefully tackle alone. The Premiers forgot why they created the Council of the Federation work together on these very issues. And that is sad."
The complete document "Achieving Our Health Care Vision: Key Considerations for Premiers," is posted on www.nursesunions.ca and www.fiqsante.qc.ca
The CFNU represents over 158,000 members and associate members in nine provinces. The Federation interprofessionnelle de la sante du Quebec represents 57,000 nursing and cardiorespiratory care professionals in Quebec. Together, the CFNU and FIQ represent over 215,000 Health Care Professionals.
Contacts:
CFNU
Linda Silas
613-859-4314
CFNU
Jean Wolff
613-878-6040
CFNU
Christopher Schulz
613-816-9062
FIQ
Sara Lapointe
418-953-2291
