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VICTORIA – Health Minister George Abbott today introduced a new Public Health Act to replace outdated legislation and set the groundwork for a modernization of public health. The new act will tackle global infectious disease, provide stronger tools to address the growing burden of chronic diseases and ensure communities fulfill their role as a partner in treating and housing residents with mental health and addiction challenges.
“British Columbia has been a Canadian leader in addressing public health initiatives, and this modernization of public health legislation provides the province with the tools to best address public health challenges in the 21st Century,” said Abbott. “This legislation brings together all partners – government, individuals and communities – to work together to address public health issues in British Columbia.”
Updates and changes to the
legislation provide public
health officials with stronger powers to protect the public against
communicable diseases such as pandemic influenza or SARS and to deal with
health hazards. The changes clarify the roles and responsibilities of
public health officials to
respond to emergencies, as they help to
protect the public from significant harms.
“The role of public health is to
protect and promote the health of British Columbians,” said provincial health
officer Dr. Perry Kendall. “The new Public Health Act supports our ability to
act quickly in the event of public health emergencies like disease outbreaks or
natural disasters following best practices set out by the World Health
Organization. It will also help us address chronic disease and injury
prevention more directly.”
Government’s throne speech commitment to ban the use of trans fats in
the preparation of foods in schools, restaurants and food-service
establishments by 2010 will occur though legislative changes introduced in the
Public Health Act.
“Every step to do away with trans
fat from food is worth taking. Doing away with trans fat in the preparation of
foods in British Columbia is a good first step,” said Diego Marchese,
vice-president of Research and Health Promotion with the Heart & Stroke
Foundation. “Scientific evidence shows trans fat significantly increases the
risk of heart disease and should be reduced to the lowest level possible.”
Legislative powers created through
the Public Health Act will support communities in caring for their own
residents, in their own communities.
This legislation will enable government to meet the throne speech
commitment to require communities to include provisions for mental health and
addiction service facilities in their community plans.
“The
legislative provision that could require communities to include mental health
and addiction service facilities in their community plans is welcome news,” said
Bev Gutray, executive director with the Canadian Mental Health Association BC
Division. “People with mental health and substance abuse issues live in every
community, and it is important that appropriate health services can be
provided. CMHA provides over 800 units of housing to people with mental illness
throughout the province in approximately 30 communities.”
Public
health is the study and practice of managing and improving the health of the
whole community rather than the treatment of illness and disability. It focuses
on health protection, screening and health promotion.
The provincial health officer is the senior
medical health officer for British Columbia and provides independent advice to
the Minister of Health, the ministry and the public on public health issues and
population health. Each year, the provincial health officer must report
publicly, through the Minister of Health to the legislature, on the health of
the population.
The new Public Health Act replaces the Health
Act, the Venereal Diseases Act and the Public Toilet Act, removing many
outdated provisions while strengthening the ministry’s ability to monitor and
prevent chronic disease.
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Communications Director Ministry of Health 250 812-5571 (cell) 250 952-1887 (media line) |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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