A welcome step in the right direction
Diabetes Canada welcomes the federal proposals for the future funding of Canada’s health-care system tabled at yesterday’s First Ministers’ meeting in Ottawa. In short, they are a welcome step in the right direction.
In addition to the top-ups and increases to the Canada Health Transfer, Diabetes Canada supports the proposed $25 billion over ten years for shared health priorities to be included in the bilateral agreements with the provinces and territories.
As part of its pre-budget advocacy at the federal and provincial/territorial levels, Diabetes Canada has highlighted this funding approach – used previously for mental health and childcare, and used successfully – to deliver jurisdiction-specific social policy strategies and frameworks. In addition, we are particularly encouraged by the inclusion of data sharing and outcomes-based performance indicators in today’s proposals; these will enable the measurement of progress towards shared health-care goals among the two levels of government and most importantly, people with diabetes, and indeed all Canadians, can hold their governments accountable for this progress.
Diabetes Canada believes these proposals provide the opportunity to capitalize on the momentum and expectation to fund the Diabetes Framework in federal and provincial budgets being tabled in the coming weeks, and to deliver transformative change for people with diabetes, their families, and their health-care providers. Moreover, key elements of the Framework can also serve as a template and catalyst for a broader approach to nation-wide chronic disease prevention and management.
As the work continues to prepare to finalize and implement the bilateral agreements between the federal government and the provinces and territories, it is important to remember that it costs $50 million each day to treat diabetes and its complications. These complications result in increased health system utilization as diabetes contributes to 30% of strokes, 40% of heart attacks, 50% of kidney failure requiring dialysis, 70% of all non-traumatic leg and foot amputations, and is the leading cause of preventable blindness.
More information on the epidemic of diabetes in Canada and provincial/territorial breakdowns is available in recent correspondence to all First Ministers.