Family doctors grade Ottawa’s health-care performance
The College of Family Physicians of Canada has given the federal government poor grades for its involvement in health care.
In a report card released Wednesday, the College gave colour-coded scores for five areas “where the federal government has a role in making or keeping our health care system the very best possible to serve the needs of Canadians through all stages of life.”
These areas are: putting care front and centre; caring for the most vulnerable; having enough health care providers; establishing the vision for health care and measuring performance; and; supporting health care research.
Ottawa received just one top grade (green) denoting “strong leadership”. This is in establishing a National Homelessness Plan in 1999 and providing funds for a “housing first” approach in the last budget.
In all, there are 23 aspects of health-care involvement under the five headings, and aside from the one green grade, it received 14 yellows and eight reds. A yellow signifies that the government “is somewhat involved but could do more” and red means the government “has shown no involvement” and this requires immediate attention.
The eight reds are for:
• Lack of federal funding or guidance in supporting the Patient’s Medical Home model of team-based care
• No current National Immunization Strategy
(“Report card” from page 1)
• Lack of a National Home Care Program
• No National Poverty Plan
• Absence of a federal strategy on child and youth health issues such as mental health and obesity
• Failure to evolve national health goals created by federal-provincial-territorial health ministers in 2005 into a national strategy and measurable actions
• No federal funding for primary care
College President Dr. Marie-Dominique Beaulieu says the purpose of the score card is not to “scold” the federal government. Instead, it is to “highlight the specific areas in which the federal government should, in our opinion, assume a larger leadership role.”
The report card can be found at www.cfpc.ca/uploadedFiles/Health_Policy/_PDFs/CFPC_FederalReportCard2013_EN.pdf. Health Edition, November, 8, 2013.
