News Release
2007-40
April 11, 2007
For immediate release
OTTAWA -The Honourable Tony Clement, Federal Minister of Health, and the Honourable Chester Gillan, Minister of Health for Prince Edward Island, today announced that Prince Edward Island will establish a Patient Wait Times Guarantee for radiation therapy by March 31, 2010, to be supported by $12.1 million in federal funding. Prince Edward Island will also be eligible to benefit from the $400 million in new funding for Canada Health Infoway, and the $30 million for pilot projects as announced in Budget 2007.
"I would like to congratulate Prince Edward Island for joining the other provinces and territories in undertaking its first Patient Wait Times Guarantee," said Minister Clement. "Thanks to this agreement, we are building together a better health care system for all Canadians by guaranteeing timely access to health care in the area of radiation therapy."
To lay the groundwork for this Patient Wait Times Guarantee, Prince Edward Island will undertake a pilot project to assess the capacity and recourse options for radiation therapy. Residents who are at risk of waiting longer than the eight-week timeframe of being considered 'ready to treat' will be given the opportunity to receive timely access to radiation therapy at another public health institution within the Maritime region, Quebec and Ontario. The details for the implementation of the radiation therapy guarantee will be determined through the pilot project.
Minister Gillan said: "This effort builds on the investments that the province has made in enhancing access to healthcare over the past number of years. Examples of investments include our new Cancer Treatment Centre, the increased number of healthcare professionals in the province, recent investments in orthopedic services, and our new Prince County Hospital."
This announcement marks another step forward by Canada's New Government as it continues to work towards ensuring that all Canadians receive medically necessary treatment within clinically acceptable wait times.
"Today's announcement represents an important point in improving the health care system in Prince Edward Island," said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and Regional Minister for Prince Edward Island. "Canadians expect us to work together in their best interest and that is exactly what we have done."
Canada's New Government intends to provide up to $612 million in a Patient Wait Times Guarantee Trust, $400 million for health information technology through Infoway, an organization which is making significant progress in working with provinces and territories to implement electronic health records, and $30 million over three years to provinces and territories for pilot projects related to establishing guarantees.
Today's announcement complements a number of previously launched pilot projects toward achieving timely access to better care. These include three which are designed to test guarantees for prenatal and diabetes care in selected First Nations communities, while a fourth is a national paediatric pilot project to address wait times for children in need of surgery.
-30-
Media Inquiries:
Carole Saindon
Health Canada
(613) 957-1588
Rita Smith
Office of the Honourable Tony Clement
Federal Minister of Health
(613) 957-0200
Rod Stanley
PEI Department of Health
(902) 368-4275
Public Inquiries:
(613) 957-2991
1-866 225-0709
