OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 1, 2022 /CNW/ – The Government of Canada acknowledges the immense contributions well being professionals made all through the COVID-19 pandemic and proceed to make each day. The Government shares the considerations raised by well being employees on the state of the well being care system, together with the impacts that the well being workforce disaster is having on their sufferers’ capacity to obtain high quality care when and the place they want it. Health employees are the spine of the well being system, and the well being workforce is in disaster.

Over the final two and a half years, Canada’s well being employees, together with these working in public well being, have been challenged like by no means earlier than. This has led to unprecedented ranges of burnout, absences, and turnover. These workforce challenges are in flip affecting sufferers who’re experiencing lengthy wait instances for surgical procedures, emergency room closures, and problem accessing household well being providers. 

We have heard tales of most cancers sufferers having their surgical procedures delayed as a result of hospitals would not have the time, house, or generally the workers, to offer well timed care. These delays result in extra complicated and invasive remedies, worse outcomes and additional disrupts affected person’s lives. That is why this previous March we outlined our imaginative and prescient for enhancing well being care by:

• Reducing backlogs and supporting our well being care employees;
• Enhancing entry to household well being providers;
• Improving psychological well being and substance use providers;
• Helping Canadians age with dignity, nearer to residence; and
• Using well being knowledge and digital well being extra successfully. 

The Government of Canada stays dedicated to defending and strengthening the publicly funded well being care system, and persevering with to work with provincial and territorial governments to take action. Provinces and territories are taking actions to extend well being care coaching capability, speed up the combination of internationally educated well being professionals, and enhance office situations. We are dedicated to working collaboratively with provinces and territories to drive pan-Canadian approaches to assist well being employees.

Today, the Government held the primary assembly of a Coalition for Action for Health Workers. This group’s recommendation will inform fast and longer-term options to handle important well being workforce challenges, so that every one Canadians can entry the standard care they want and deserve.

The Coalition shall be comprised of representatives from key teams, together with nurses, medical doctors, private assist employees, unions, faculties and universities, public well being, sufferers, Indigenous peoples and equity-deserving communities.

Skilled and supported well being employees are key to making sure high quality well being care, which is why the Coalition’s preliminary priorities will embrace offering recommendation on employees’ retention so well being employees proceed to remain of their jobs; rising the provision of well being professionals within the nation; enhancing well being workforce knowledge; and alternatives to scale new fashions of care to handle key boundaries.

Quotes

“Canadians expect us to work collaboratively to urgently address the health worker crisis to strengthen the universal publicly funded health care system that we all cherish as Canadians. As we continue our work with provinces and territories, the Coalition will help support moving forward on concrete actions so we can get clear outcomes for Canadians, their families and for our health workers by ensuring they get the care they need and deserve.”

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos 
Minister of Health

“Every day across the country, health workers show up for work to care for people in Canada and help them with their mental or physical health. Often working long hours in stressful situations, sometimes even risking their own personal safety to support us. Health workers face unique experiences and this Coalition will help determine the most appropriate training/educational interventions to address their mental health and substance use care needs.”

The Honourable Carolyn Bennett
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, and Associate Minister of Health

“Seniors across Canada need and deserve a healthcare system that provides quality care when they need it, where they need it. As a Registered Nurse who has worked on the frontlines in a hospital and volunteered in a long-term care home during the height of the pandemic, I have seen first hand the challenges faced by patients, healthcare workers and our healthcare system. The Coalition will help us address the health workers crisis and improve supports for doctors, nurses and PSWs who sacrifice so much to support the health and well-being of Canadians. Our government remains committed to protecting and strengthening our healthcare system through long-term solutions.”

The Honourable Kamal Khera
Minister of Seniors

Quick Facts

• In addition to the institution of the Coalition for Action, the Government of Canada is taking a management function to handle the well being workforce disaster and is shifting ahead with different actions, together with:
• On September 23, 2022, the federal authorities introduced that it might introduce measures to facilitate the entry of international nationwide physicians as everlasting residents by way of Canada’s federal financial immigration applications managed by way of the Express Entry system;
• On August 23, 2022, Health Canada introduced that it had appointed Dr. Leigh Chapman as Chief Nursing Officer; 
• Budget 2022 introduced $26.2 million in funding to extend the forgivable quantity of pupil loans for medical doctors and nurses who practise in rural and distant communities;
• Budget 2022 supplied an extra $140 million over two years to the Wellness Together Canada portal, which gives free, confidential psychological well being and substance use instruments and providers for all Canadians, together with instruments for frontline well being care employees;
• Budget 2022 supplied $115 million over 5 years, with $30 million ongoing, to broaden the Foreign Credential Recognition Program and assist as much as 11,000 internationally skilled well being care professionals per yr get their credentials acknowledged and discover work of their discipline. It will even assist tasks that may cut back boundaries to international credential recognition for well being care professionals;
• A $2 billion top-up to the Canada Health Transfer (CHT) was supplied to the provinces and territories, to scale back backlogs brought on by COVID-19. This funding dietary supplements the Budget 2021 funding of $4 billion by way of the CHT, distributed equally per capita, to assist provinces and territories deal with fast well being care system pressures;
• In December 2021, amendments have been made to the Criminal Code (below the previous Bill C-3), to make sure well being care employees are secure and free from threats, violence and harassment; and,
• Budget 2021 supplied $100 million over three years to assist the psychological well being of Canadians who’ve been most affected by COVID-19 and an extra $50 million to assist these experiencing PTSD because of the pandemic, together with frontline and important service suppliers.
• Budget 2021 introduced funding for Employment and Social Development Canada’s Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program, which goals to assist key sectors of the financial system, together with well being, to implement options to handle workforce wants, resembling labour shortages.

Associated Links

SOURCE Health Canada

For additional data: Media Relations, Health Canada, 613-957-2983, [email protected]