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VICTORIA – The new 10-year health care agreement signed by federal, provincial and territorial leaders provides the long-term stable funding needed to support reforms that will provide better care, reduced wait times and a sustainable health care system for all British Columbians, Premier Gordon Campbell and Health Services Minister Colin Hansen said today.
The agreement means an increase of over $400 million for B.C. next year alone.
“For the first time in a long time, we have sustainable, predictable, long-term funding that will benefit British Columbians and all Canadians as we work to strengthen health care over the next ten years,” Campbell said. “This agreement allows us to focus our attention on delivering the reforms that people want: reducing wait lists, improving home care, the first steps of a national Pharmacare program, and improvements to aboriginal health care. This is a critical step to the future for health care in Canada.”
As a result of the deal, British Columbia will see a total of $5.4 billion in new federal health funding over the next 10 years, including $715 million dollars targeted specifically to reduce wait times. Campbell noted that B.C. has already made reducing waitlists a priority with $25 million committed in the last month alone to reduce wait times for cardiac and hip and knee replacement surgeries.
“This means an increase of over $400 million next year, in addition to the $3 billion in annual funding the province has already committed to ensure British Columbians get the health care they need, when they need it,” Campbell said.
Campbell said the funding will allow the province to:
Hansen noted that, together with B.C.’s health authorities and thousands of dedicated health professionals across the province, British Columbia has already made great progress toward creating a more accountable approach to health care delivery, focussed on the direct needs of patients. Hansen said this deal will only build on that success.
“We know these new dollars alone will not eliminate all the challenges we face in delivering high quality care to BC patients over the long-term,” said Hansen. “However, all levels of government have demonstrated there is no greater priority than creating a health care system all Canadians can depend on and a willingness to work together to achieve that goal.”
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