The government of Christy Clark must get back to the table with federal minister of health Jane Philpott to conclude a bilateral health deal. We run the risk of losing billions of additional dollars for our overstretched health-care system if it continues to stall.
Philpott is convinced more money has to be spent on home care and mental-health-care services. Better home care for people, the aging in particular, results in fewer hospital visits and less use of long-term care facilities. Mental illness among the young, the aging and, with particular poignancy, veterans is receiving a lot of press.
The Health Accord expired in 2014 and in the intervening years the conservatives arbitrarily reduced the annual increase from six to three per cent.
Philpott knew that, due to fiscal constraints, the ongoing formula for annual increases would have to remain in the three per cent ballpark. She wanted mental health and home-care services to be a priority, but knew the provinces did not want to be told how to spend their money.
If the feds want a particular area of health care to have priority attention, the only effective way to achieve that is to pony up additional funds.
Philpott offered an escalator clause of 3.5 per cent with an additional $6 billion for home care and $5 billion more for mental-health services over the life of the accord. These would be dedicated funds and the provinces would be accountable for how they were spent.
Provincial health ministers demanded a blank cheque with an escalator of 5.2 per cent. The federal offer was removed from the table.
But the deadlock has been broken. The four Atlantic provinces, the three territories and Saskatchewan all signed bilateral deals that include the escalator clause and dedicated funds.
Philpott can be pleased that she is well on the way to changing the health-care system in vital ways.
We need to urge the BC government to return to the table with Ottawa and accept its terms in order to receive dedicated funds and priority for home care and mental health.
Telis Savvaidis is a resident of Powell River.
