Canada's Health Infostructure

Government Financial Investment

• Budget 2004
• Budget 2003
• Fall 2000 First Ministers Agreement: Announcement on Health Information Technology
• Budget 1999
• Budget 1997

Budget 2004

Investing in public health surveillance (March 2004) - In Budget 2004, the federal government provides an additional $100 million to Canada Health Infoway Inc. to foster the development and implementation of a pan-Canadian health surveillance system - integrating current disease-based surveillance systems - to support the management of infectious disease prevention and protection activities.

Budget 2003

Investing in Canada's Health Care System (February 18, 2003) - As announced first at the 2003 First Ministers Accord on Health Care Renewal, the 2003 budget "provides an additional $600 million to Canada Health Infoway to accelerate the development of EHRs, common information technology standards across the country, and the further development of telehealth applications, which are critical to care in rural and remote areas."

Fall 2000 First Ministers Agreement: Announcement on Health Information Technology

News Release (September 11, 2000) - the Canadian federal government announced that it would "invest $500 million immediately in an independent corporation mandated to accelerate the development and adoption of modern systems of information technology, such as electronic patient records, so as to provide better health care".

Budget 1999

• Budget 1999 (Canada. Dept. of Finance)

$328 million to further develop health information systems in Canada, including initiatives begun as a result of 1997 budget funding:

• Canada Health Infostructure Partnerships Program (CHIPP)
• Centre for Surveillance Coordination (CSC)

$190 million to address the health care needs of First Nations and Inuit, including a First Nations Health Information System

Budget 1997

• Budget 1997 documents (Canada. Dept. of Finance)

$50 million over three years for a Canada Health Information System - a co-ordinated national system of health information to ensure that health care providers and planners across the country have the right information at the right time, including the most up-to-date knowledge on the best treatments available

Funding from Budget 1997 supported several Health Canada initiatives:

• Advisory Council on Health Infostructure
• Centre for Surveillance Coordination (CSC)
• Health Infostructure Support Program
• Health and the Information Highway Division (Health Canada)