News Release
2005-72
July 4, 2005
For immediate release
Minister Dosanjh releases two new reports on the Primary Health Care Transition Fund
Ottawa - July 4, 2005 - Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh today released two new reports on Health Canada's Primary Health Care Transition Fund (PHCTF): the Interim Report (PDF version) and the Summary of Initiatives (PDF version) .
The Primary Health Care Transition Fund has been assisting provinces and territories, and many primary health stakeholders with the resources needed to introduce long-term improvements to primary health care.
"The objectives are to ensure Canadians have timely access to primary health care services and access to health information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week," said Minister Dosanjh. "The goal is also to expand the use of teams of health care providers who work together to keep the patient at the centre of care. These are important priorities for me and the Government of Canada."
The Interim Report highlights major achievements of the 68 PHCTF primary health care renewal initiatives now underway while the Summary of Initiatives provides details on each funded project.
In 2000, First Ministers agreed that improvements to primary care are crucial to the renewal of health services and governments are committed to ensuring that Canadians receive the most appropriate care, by the most appropriate providers, in the most appropriate settings. The reports underscore the governments' common vision for primary health care as the key to efficient, timely and quality care for Canadians, no matter where they live.
The reports provide policy-makers, primary health care providers, governments and stakeholders with comprehensive updates on a multitude of initiatives across the country.
For example, telephone health advisory lines provide patients 24-hour access to a qualified health professional by telephone. The health care professional can assess symptoms and help the patient decide whether to care for themselves, make an appointment with their health care provider, or go to a hospital emergency room.
The new reports arising from Health Canada's Primary Health Care Transition Fund highlight a range of initiatives that focus on such things as training and curriculum development for health care providers; chronic disease management; active living and healthy living; and the implementation of confidential electronic health records.
The Interim Report and Summary of Initiatives demonstrate how implementing sustainable, large-scale, primary health care initiatives is helping to change the fundamental way Canadians access health care.
The final report on the Primary Health Care Transition Fund will be made available following the conclusion of the program in March 2007.
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