Canadian Association of Paediatric Health Centres

Speaking Notes

for a videoconference address by

The Honourable Tony Clement

Minister of Health and Minister Responsible for the
Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario

to

A National Symposium on Paediatric Wait Times
Hosted by the Canadian Association of Paediatric Health Centres

Vancouver, B.C.
October 16, 2006

Check against delivery.

Introduction

Thank you for that warm welcome.

Good afternoon friends, health care colleagues, and special guests:

• Brian Postl,
• Stephen Wellington,
• Geoffrey Blair,
• Robin Santucci and
• James Wright.
• A special thank you to Elaine Orrbine and the Canadian Association of Paediatric Health Centres, for inviting me to speak today.

It's a pleasure to virtually be here, and to take part in your conference by videoconference.

It's a first for me, but barring any technical problems, I'd like to share my remarks with you that I hope will help kick off your discussions.

Although my three children have learned not to ask their Dad what he's working on today, occasionally the question does come up.

My answer, "well, I'm working on something called Patient Wait Times Guarantees", usually elicits rolling eyes and yawns, and strains of "OK Dad… whatever".

If I get a chance to explain myself, I tell them it's sort of like a promise.

I tell them in their terms that, in a way, it's like our pizza guy promising to deliver in 40 minutes or it's free. Just like that, if you fall off your bike and end up needing surgery, the government promises you'll get it within a certain time.

This may confuse them even further. But I know they understand one thing, and that's the word promise.

A child doesn't care about targets and benchmarks and recourse. A child wants a promise they'll be looked after, that they'll feel better.

Let us figure out the rest, so that all Canadians – including our children – can receive the care they need when they need it.

And that's at the heart of what I want to talk about today.

As we – policymakers, clinicians, scientists, parents – move forward on the promise of Patient Wait Times Guarantees, how can we make sure Canada's future generation benefits from our efforts?

This afternoon I want to talk about where we're at with this promise, where we're going and what it means for children. I want to point to some bright lights that are showing us the way to reduce wait times for paediatric care. And I want to underscore the importance of health promotion, disease and injury prevention in reducing paediatric wait times.

National Paediatric Wait Times Strategy

Firstly though, I can't talk about how we got to where we are today without mentioning the National Child and Youth Health Coalition to which your association belongs.

I was pleased to meet with members of the Coalition in February of this year, and I fully support their on-going work.

Our government was pleased to provide over $72,000 dollars this year to support that work.

As you know, the recommendation of a National Paediatric Wait Times Strategy was included in the final report of the Federal Advisor on Wait Times, Dr. Postl – a paediatrician himself. And I want to underscore that it is an issue I am taking very seriously.

The outcome of this work has provided vital information on the wait-time burden children are facing for needed surgery, and will ultimately help improve and better manage wait times for paediatric care.

And it's a way to ensure that our promise – Patient Wait Time Guarantees – is a promise kept for all Canadians, including our children.

Wait Times Reductions

How, then, does this fit into Patient Wait Times Guarantees?

I think of it as our next window of opportunity.

We've made progress in the five priority areas – cardiac, cancer, hip and knee replacement, cataracts and diagnostic imaging. We're already seeing a return on growing federal funding, combined with significant investment by the provinces and territories.

And the provinces and territories are doing much of the heavy lifting.

As you no doubt heard last week, Quebec announced over $14 million to further reduce waiting lists in Montreal – and, for the first time, is focussing part of those efforts on wait lists for paediatric surgery. The province estimates more than 1400 more paediatric surgeries this year as a result.

And Manitoba's Health Sciences Centre's new paediatric-dedicated MRI, for example, has helped reduce waiting times for diagnostic imaging from 24 weeks to 11 weeks.

Our shared efforts are working, right across the country. Those efforts are laying the foundation for better care for generations to come, and for implementing Patient Wait Times Guarantees.

But just because governments have focussed on five initial priority areas doesn't preclude jurisdictions from targeting other areas.

In fact, several provinces have identified children's health care as a priority. They are investing in initiatives to improve access to and reduce wait times for children's health services.

For example, in recent years, Health Canada, in partnership with Western provinces, has supported the Western Canada Waiting List Project, which developed tools to manage waiting lists for five types of health services, including children's mental health.

The Children's Heart Network, a network of paediatric cardiac care providers from the four Western provinces, is benefiting children with heart disease throughout the West.

And the Ontario Children's Health Network – along with the BC Children's Hospital – have provided models for national access standards for paediatric care that could very well serve as a basis for informing a Patient Wait Times Guarantee for paediatric surgeries.

It's clear – we have a great opportunity here to keep our promise to children and to all Canadians.

Looking Ahead

I've said many times that implementing Patient Wait Times Guarantees is a process, not an event. The same is true in reducing paediatric wait times. It will take time, but I am optimistic about the future.

I come at this from a point of view of hope. There is an opportunity here to help our system – and our youngest generation – meet the challenges of tomorrow.

After all, the old saying that "children are a third of our population and one whole of our future" is more than just a saying!

We know that $1 spent on treating a patient properly as a child saves the adult system $3 in future health care costs.

I believe that improving and maintaining the health of Canadians requires us to look ahead and be proactive.

Last week, I was with Prime Minister Stephen Harper to introduce Canada's Clean Air Act. We have a plan that is going to replace rhetoric with results, a plan that is going to move from short-term headlines to long-term progress …a plan that will ensure a better environment for the future our children represent.

We know that action is needed now.

Since 1978, the percentage of children diagnosed with asthma, the leading cause of school absenteeism, has increased from 2.5% to 12%.

Air pollution greatly exacerbates asthma – and actions to reduce indoor and outdoor pollutants can significantly reduce the health impacts of asthma.

Canada new government has completed a systematic review of 23,000 chemical substances used in general commerce prior to 1994…and we are the first country in the world to achieve this! This is an important first step to determining priorities for further action to protect human health and the environment.

My colleague Rona Ambrose, Minister of the Environment, in the near future, will come forward with a broader toxics action plan that balances health and environment protection with economic viability.

Thinking into the future also means we have to continue to invest in sound health promotion, disease and injury prevention activities aimed at Canadian children.

As the people on the front lines and behind the scenes of paediatric care, you know as well as I do that these investments can help reduce pressures down the road on the health care system.

And Canada's New Government is committed to continuing those investments. We provide $114 million dollars annually to programs like the Community Action Program for Children and the Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program that ensure children have a healthy start in life.

As you are no doubt aware, the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program is an important initiative of this government and the Canadian Paediatric Society.

Over the past ten years, this program has monitored relatively rare childhood diseases and conditions that are of public health importance. It is highly regarded scientifically and it complements well the other maternal and child health surveillance activities of this government.

Announcement

Today, I am pleased to announce that Canada's new government intends to reinstate the funding of this important program, The Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program.

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm proud of Canada's contribution to its youngest citizens, and I'd like to briefly mention some of our initiatives that are making a real difference.

Firstly, universal access to health services in our country, ensuring as many women in Canada receive high-quality care during pregnancy and childbirth, helps explain why Canada has some of the best maternal and early childhood survival rates globally.

This government has provided funding to support the introduction of new and recommended childhood and adolescent vaccines designed to help prevent serious illness.

Since this investment, all provinces and most territories now have publicly funded immunization programs for four newly recommended vaccines.

Surveillance information supports more effective public health policy and goes a long way toward better health and better health care for Canada's children. For example, our government's Canadian Perinatal Surveillance System analyzes and reports on critical child health issues such as preterm birth and congenital anomalies.

And the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect provides surveillance information about the occurrence of child maltreatment and the circumstances of affected children and their families.

Through all of this work, this government has a close working relationship with your organization. Canadian Association of Paediatric Health Centres members are partners in our maternal and child health surveillance activities.

Your association also remains a key partner in implementing guidelines for diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. And I know that improving paediatric wait times is critical to avoiding the secondary effects of this disorder.

Canada's new government is also making sure our health products and food are as safe as possible for children.

In March 2006, we published for the first time on Health Canada's web site information specific to the use of natural health products in children.

This appeared in an addendum to the Compliance Policy for Natural Health Products. The addendum identified natural health products which are lower risk for children -- like multi-vitamins and botanicals with a history of safe use in children.

The Importance of Injury Prevention

I'd like to touch upon a topic especially close to my heart, as a father of three.

Many partners, including yourselves, are also making vital contributions to advancing national child health surveillance, including on child injuries.

Which leads me to my next point. I had the chance to talk about injury prevention this summer, at Safe Kids Week, organized by Safe Kids Canada.

Unintentional injuries remain the number 1 killer of children, adolescents and young adults.

The point that Safe Kids made was alarming.

Any parent who has lost a child, or paced an emergency ward contemplating the impact of a serious, life-changing injury, would have been moved by the sight of the 390 pairs of shoes lining the wall, representing the children that die each year from a preventable injury.

While significant achievements have been made in this area, we were all reminded then that the leading killer of children remains preventable.

We were reminded that a significant strain on our health care system remains preventable.

Injuries cost us more than $13 billion a year, $4 billion of which pertain to children.

Imagine the benefits of spending that kind of money on research into disease and treatment, on healthy living programs for children and on a host of other injury prevention measures that will help to reduce wait times for all Canadians.

I know that you will be examining this topic in detail over the next few days, and I'm encouraged you will hear and share many innovative and practical solutions.

Conclusion

Ladies and gentlemen, I hope I have touched on a few top-of-mind issues that will get the ball rolling for you.

I want to emphasize that whether it is through our mutual work on health care or public health, Canada's new government understands the fact that Canadians expect all levels of government to work together to get things done for families and taxpayers.

Over the past eight months, Canadians have witnessed a government that has followed through on its promises and commitments. Today is another example of living up to promises and commitments.

As Canada's Minister of Health, I have had the opportunity to visit communities across our great country. Time and time again, Canadians are saying how pleased they are that this new government, your government, is delivering on its promises and delivering on the issues that matter most.

The great work my colleague Minister Finley has done to get our Universal Childcare Benefit up and running – now all parents across Canada with children under 6 years old are receiving $100 in support each month.

As well, our government is rewarding hard work and helping Canadians get ahead by cutting the GST.

We are restoring Canadians' faith in the federal government by introducing the most sweeping accountability measures in Canada's history.

We are protecting families, communities and Canada's way of life by introducing much needed legislation to tackle crime to keep our communities and most of all of our children safe.

And of course, we are guaranteeing timely health care services to Canadians by moving towards a Patient Wait Times Guarantee, and investing in patient care, research and development.

Canadians expect practical health care and public health programs, properly managed.

Canadians deserve to feel certain they will receive excellent health care, and also certain that they will be provided with options for recourse when wait times risk becoming unreasonable.

I've made this government's objectives clear: Within one year's time, I believe provinces and territories should be in a position to state their intention to establish a guarantee in critical areas such as cardiac care, where progress has already been made.

I believe that by Spring 2008, all jurisdictions should be making real progress towards establishing Patient Wait Times Guarantees for other essential health care services.

Through all the ongoing work I've described this afternoon, I'm confident we'll get there.

After all, this government made a commitment to Canadians to establish Patient Wait Times Guarantees.

To us, it's a commitment to move toward more certainty – for patients, their families and loved ones.

To a child, it's a promise.

And it's one, with your help, I intend to keep!

Thank you very much.