Conference of Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers of Health

VANCOUVER - The Federal, Provincial and  Territorial Ministers of Health today issued the following statement at the  conclusion of their meeting on Jan. 20 and 21, 2016:

"Today, we agreed to move ahead on  shared health priorities, working collaboratively while respecting our  jurisdictional roles, and guided by the common vision of creating more  adaptable, innovative and affordable health-care systems for all Canadians. We  discussed the pressing need to address gaps in health outcomes for Indigenous  peoples.  

Shared Health Priorities:

"We agreed that strong, universally  accessible, publicly financed health-care systems are an essential foundation  for a strong and prosperous Canada. We affirmed our commitment to continue  transforming and strengthening health-care systems so that they can provide  high-quality, accessible and patient-centered health services in a sustainable  way. To this end, we, as Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers, agreed  to work individually and collectively on the following immediate priorities  where efforts will yield the greatest impact:

   
• Enhancing the affordability,  accessibility and appropriate use of prescription drugs;
   
• improving care in the community, home  care and mental health, to better meet the needs of patients closer to home and  outside of institutional settings; and
   
• fostering innovation in health-care  services to spread and scale proven and promising approaches that improve the  quality of care and value-for-money.

Funding Commitment:

"While acknowledging that  health-care transformation will improve the responsiveness and patient focus of  our health care systems, ministers agreed that new resources are needed to  stimulate and support needed changes in health-care systems across the country.  The federal minister confirmed the federal government's commitment to work  collaboratively with provinces and territories toward a long-term funding  arrangement, which would include bilateral agreements.

Going forward, in respect of  jurisdictional areas of responsibility and precedent agreements, the bilateral  agreements will take into account the different circumstances and starting  points of jurisdictions.

Prescription Drugs:

"Ministers agree that improving the  affordability and accessibility of prescription drugs is a shared priority.  Provincial and territorial ministers welcome the Government of Canada's  decision to join, at the invitation of the provinces and territories, the  pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance, which negotiates lower drug prices on  behalf of public drug plans.

Our governments will also consider a  range of other measures to reduce pharmaceutical prices and improve prescribing  and appropriate use of drugs, while striving to improve health outcomes. We  also agree to explore approaches to improving coverage and access to  prescription drugs for Canadians. In this regard, Minister Philpott agreed, at  the invitation of Ontario, to join a Federal-Provincial-Territorial working  group.

Care in the Community:

"Recognizing our aging population,  as well as growing rates of chronic disease, including mental illness, we must  pursue a shift of health-care systems from a predominant focus on institutions  and specialized care toward a greater emphasis on providing care in the home  and community. Building on the work of provinces and territories and the  federal commitment to invest in home care, we will consider ways to better  integrate and expand access to services at home, including palliative care at  home; enhanced support for informal caregivers; and continue to work to improve  access to mental-health services.

Health Innovation:

"Service delivery innovation is a  vital component of sustainable, quality health systems. Today, we agreed to  support the adoption and spread of proven and promising innovations in the  organization and delivery of health services. We will examine how the existing  pan-Canadian health organizations and provincial counterpart organizations  could support system transformation, and explore the role of critical enablers  such as health information and data analytics, digital health and technology  management.

Next Steps:

"Given the importance of advancing  work on our shared health priorities, we agreed to meet again in mid-2016 to  take stock of progress and decide on next steps.

Indigenous Health:

"We, as Health Ministers, will work  together and within our jurisdictions with Indigenous leaders to determine  areas of shared priority, and to improve the co-ordination, continuity and  appropriateness of health services for Indigenous peoples as part of a  population health approach to improving Indigenous peoples' health in Canada.

Physician-assisted Dying:

"As Health Ministers, we appreciate  that physician assisted dying is a complex and important issue for Canadians.  Mindful of the recent timeline set by the Supreme Court of Canada, we discussed  the recent and ongoing federal and provincial/territorial work on  physician-assisted dying. We received updates on the recent reports of the  Provincial-Territorial Expert Advisory Group and the Federal Expert panel, and  the proposed work of the Special Joint Committee. We recognize that a response  to the Carter decision will have significant implications across governments  and for Canadians. Recognizing that Quebec has its own law, our governments  will continue to work toward a consistent approach to physician-assisted dying  in Canada.

Prescription Drug Abuse:

"As Health Ministers, we are  concerned with problematic prescription drug use and the burden it is having on  Canadians and their families and communities. As part of our commitment to work  on this important public-health and safety issue, ministers have agreed to  continue to work with their respective regulatory authorities, professional  colleges and medical schools to enlist their support in working with their  jurisdictions to combat problematic prescription drug use, including improving  awareness and education on appropriate prescribing practices.

Health Promotion and Prevention:

"Ministers of Health agreed that  the continued transformation of health-care systems is a critical element of  improving health outcomes for Canadians, while recognizing that progress on the  social determinants of health is equally important. In this context, ministers  received an update on the important issue of antimicrobial resistance, a report  on healthy weights, and the Pan-Canadian Joint Consortium for School Health  Annual Report (2015)."

Media  Contacts:

Health Canada Media Relations
613 957-2983

B.C. Ministry of Health Media Relations
250 952-1887 (media line)

Connect  with the Province of B.C. at: www.gov.bc.ca/connect