News Release
2003-40
June 06, 2003
For immediate release
Secretary of State Ethel Blondin-Andrew and Minister J. Michael Miltenberger announce $4.7 million to strengthen primary health care in the Northwest Territories
YELLOWKNIFE- On behalf of the Honourable Anne McLellan, Federal Minister
of Health, the Honourable Ethel Blondin-Andrew, Secretary of State (Children and Youth)
and the Honourable J. Michael Miltenberger, Minister of Health and Social Services, today
announced that the Government of Canada is investing over $4.7 million in initiatives designed
to ensure that Northwest Territories residents have access to high-quality, affordable,
and sustainable primary health care services.
Primary health care refers to the first level of care and the initial point of contact
that a patient has with the health system. Often, primary health care begins with the family
physician or community health nurse. Primary health care is meant to be the first step
in the continuum of care, with multi-disciplinary health care provider teams emphasizing
health promotion and illness prevention, and providing a link to more specialized care,
such as that provided in hospitals. The Northwest Territories government will use a portion
of this funding to:
- develop integrated primary health care teams and services;
- support improved women's reproductive health services; and to,
- provide training for various health care providers.
"This funding will improve the ability of the Northwest Territories to integrate initiatives
aimed at health promotion, and injury and illness prevention," said Secretary of State
Blondin-Andrew. "These changes will result in better health outcomes for Northwest Territories
residents which, in turn, will relieve pressure on their health care system."
"This funding is timely as the Northwest Territories has already begun introducing reforms
to our health and social services system," stated Minister Miltenberger. "We have embarked
on a series of initiatives that promote a collaborative, client-centred approach to delivering
core health and social services. These funds will be used to strengthen a broad range of
community-based services."
Funding for today's announcement originates from the $800-million Primary Health Care
Transition Fund (PHCTF) which was established in September 2000 by the Government of Canada
to support the efforts of provinces and territories and other stakeholders to develop and
implement transitional primary health care reform initiatives as part of the overall renewal
of Canada's health care system. The PHCTF was also designed to enable recipients to address
overarching primary health care issues that are common nationally or across two or more
jurisdictions.
A renewed primary health care system would have the following features:
- More primary health care organizations that are accountable to provide a prescribed
set of comprehensive services to the populations they serve.
- Multi-disciplinary provider teams within these primary health care organizations.
- Better coordination and integration with health services available elsewhere, such
as hospitals.
- Greater emphasis on health promotion, disease and injury prevention, and chronic diseases
management.
- Improved access to essential services, 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week.
As recently announced in the Government of Canada's 2003 budget, federal support to health
care in Canada will increase by $17.3 billion over the next three years. This support will
be $34.8 billion over five years, which includes a $9.5 billion increase in transfers to
provinces and territories over the next five years and a $2.5 billion immediate transfer,
among other directed funds. In addition, Canada's three territories will receive at least
$60 million to meet the needs of their remote populations, which are scattered over vast
distances.
Funding for the PHCTF was built into the existing financial framework in the 2000 federal
budget.
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Media Inquiries
Farah Mohamed
Office of Anne McLellan
Minister of Health
(613) 957-1694
Kimberly Arp
Communiations and Special Assistant
Office of the Secretary of State (Children and Youth)
(819) 953-8385
Tara Madigan
Health Canada
(613) 946-4250
Public Inquiries (Health Canada):
(613) 957-2991
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