(Chapter 5—Promoting Diabetes Prevention and Control—Spring 2013 Report of the Auditor General)
Ottawa, 30 April 2013—The Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research have each undertaken activities to prevent and control diabetes, but these activities have been uncoordinated, says the Auditor General of Canada, Michael Ferguson, in a Report tabled today in Parliament. The Public Health Agency of Canada has received $18 million per year since 2005 to lead work with its federal partners, as well as provinces, territories and other stakeholders, to promote diabetes prevention and control. In 2010–11, Health Canada received $55 million to fund the Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research funded close to $44 million in diabetes research.
“The government has recognized that a joint approach is required to prevent and control diabetes in Canada,” said Mr. Ferguson. “The federal organizations tasked with implementing this approach have to ensure that the resources put at their disposal are maximizing benefits for Canadians.”
The audit found that the Public Health Agency does not have a strategy to guide its activities related to chronic diseases, including diabetes. Its management practices for delivering programs and activities under the Canadian Diabetes Strategy are weak. The Agency has not determined how it will best reach high-risk populations, or which types of projects or tools would be most appropriate to invest in.
The audit also found that Public Health Agency has not defined how it will work with its federal partners to implement and coordinate diabetes activities, nor has it managed to regularly engage stakeholders or diabetes experts to help set its priorities. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research took appropriate steps to coordinate activities in updating priorities for diabetes research by consulting with the Agency and Health Canada. However, since neither organization had a research plan, they were unable to respond appropriately.
The Agency has a well-established diabetes surveillance system and shares data with the provinces. However, Health Canada and the Agency have made little progress on collaborating to improve the limited diabetes surveillance information on Aboriginal peoples. Each organization has spent millions and undertaken initiatives in isolation of each other, resulting in fragmented efforts and limited progress.
“The Public Health Agency has not been leading federal efforts to prevent and control diabetes,” said Mr. Ferguson. “Activities remain largely uncoordinated, and their impact is unknown.”
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