News Release
1997-49
August 20, 1997
Advisory Council on Health Info-Structure established
OTTAWA - Health Minister Allan Rock today announced the establishment of an Advisory Council on the Canadian Health Info-structure, to contribute to the development of a national strategy for an integrated Canadian health information system.
"A comprehensive Canadian health information system is needed so that federal, provincial and territorial governments; public institutions; the private sector; and the general public have access to the right information, at the right time, in order to make their decisions about health and health care," said Mr. Rock. "The Advisory Council will make an important contribution in guiding the development of a shared vision for the creation of an integrated Canadian health information system and in facilitating a shared commitment towards the achievement of this vision."
The Council will provide advice to the Minister of Health on the info-structure needed to maintain and improve the health of the people of Canada and increase the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the Canadian health system. It will also provide a forum to address issues of common interest to all potential stakeholders; ensure that as information infrastructure is built throughout Canada that both medical care and public health requirements are addressed; enhance and encourage collaborative initiatives and partnerships in the development and implementation of an integrated health information system; and help determine how Canada can become a world leader in accelerating the advanced use of information highway applications.
Members are appointed to the Council for a period of 18 months. The membership is composed of experts from across Canada, from both the private and public sectors, and from a diverse cross-section of stakeholders with complementary interests. The Council will be co-chaired by Dr. Tom Noseworthy, Professor and Chair, Department of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Alberta and Alan Nymark, Associate Deputy Minister, Health Canada.
The formation of the Council is a building block in the federal government's commitment to the cooperative development of a Canadian health information infrastructure aimed clearly at serving the health care needs of the people of Canada.
As announced in the 1997 federal budget, funding of $50 million over three years has been provided to begin developing, in collaboration with the provinces, a national strategy for an integrated Canadian health information system. As a federal contribution to such a system, Health Canada is proposing a threepronged initiative: a national health surveillance system to track diseases and other potential risks or threats to health; a population health clearinghouse that would consolidate public health information resources and make them available electronically; and a First Nations health information system available to over 500 First Nations communities across Canada.
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Media Inquiries:
Monette Haché
Health Canada
(613) 957-1803
Public Inquiries:
(613) 957-2991
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