Working together to improve health care for Canadians – Press Release

OTTAWA, ON, Feb. 7, 2023 /CNW/ – As Canadians, we place a lot of value in our universal, public health care system. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been living up to expectations. Across the country, patients seeking emergency care are finding their emergency rooms overwhelmed or even closed. People are waiting for surgeries that are postponed or cancelled. The health care system and the workers who uphold it are under enormous strain, a situation that was exacerbated by the pandemic, and needs immediate action to deliver better health care for Canadians.

Today, the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and his provincial and territorial counterparts met to work together on improving Canada’s health care system. Prime Minister Trudeau and premiers discussed shared health priorities to deliver real results for Canadians as well as the importance to uphold the Canada Health Act to protect Canada’s publicly funded health care system. Canadians must have equitable access to medical care based on their needs, not their ability to pay.

At the working meeting with premiers, the federal government announced it will increase health funding to provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over 10 years, including $46.2 billion in new funding. This funding includes the following elements:

• An immediate, unconditional $2 billion Canada Health Transfer (CHT) top-up to address immediate pressures on the health care system, especially in pediatric hospitals and emergency rooms, and long wait times for surgeries. This builds on previous CHT top-ups that total $6.5 billion provided throughout the pandemic.
• A 5 per cent CHT guarantee for the next five years, which will be provided through annual top-up payments as required. This is projected to provide an additional $17.3 billion over 10 years in new support. The last top-up payment will be rolled into the CHT base at the end of the five years to ensure a permanent funding increase, providing certainty and sustainability to provinces and…

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