Moving From Debate to Action

Summary

This project sought to bring together government officials, health care providers, health service provision experts and other concerned stakeholders in order to discuss the future of Canadian health care. The project operated on a very short timeline, in the month between the Romanov Report publication in late November, and the First Ministers meeting in January. Its goal was to enable engagement on key health policy issues in order to establish meaningful recommendations prior to a key political meeting. The event hosted policy commentators with a range of opinions and sought to to identify areas in which effective change could be addressed. The discussions took various reports under consideration, including the Romanov and Mazankowski Reports, the Kirby Report, the Fyke Report and the Clair Report.

Grant Outputs

Moving from Debate to Action: Securing the Future for Canada’s Health System – http://www.ppforum.ca/sites/default/files/debate_to_action_0.pdf

This report summarizes the findings of the conference held on December 11 – 12, 2002, on the future of Canadian health care. The conference brought together stakeholders ranging from health care providers to acute care system managers, in-home caregivers, palliative and community care, the health professionals’ union, advocates of Aboriginal, women’s and children’s health, practitioners in mental health, chiropractic and naturopathy, private sector insurers and pharmaceutical companies, large employers and chambers of commerce, health researchers and scholars, and health economists. This diverse group developed broad policy recommendations and identified themes which they felt were the most pressing issues requiring government attention. These recommendations included the need for improved health infrastructure, including new investments in diagnostic and other medical equipment, a new community and home care program, and a catastrophic pharmacare program that would ensure that no Canadian would be bankrupted by drug expenses.