Federal health transfers to provinces, so many billions of dollars, so little access, claims Council for the protection of patients

MONTREAL, Oct. 1, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - Council for the protection of patients wishes to remind citizens that for the past 10 years, more then 253 billions of dollars have been transferred from the Federal government to provinces and territories, including 60 billions to the government of Quebec. And since, a majority of Canadians and Quebecers still do not have access to medical attention when needed or are unsatisfied with their health care system ¹.

Council for the protection of patients is reacting to pubic announces from different political parties during the ungoing federal election campaign. Canadian law on health care, adopted more then 30 years ago and still, a majority of citizens identify access to medical attention when needed, to be a priority.

If the Quebec government and its health minister seem determined to make things better, how many more months, years and federal transfers will the citizens have to wait and pay for, to finally have full access to health care when and where needed, asks Mr. Paul G. Brunet, chair of the Council for the protection of patients. 

Federal transfers have not yet improved access to health care for the past 10 years. Instead of claiming more money like others are claiming, or bringing in more transfers as some political parties are promising, Brunet urges politicians to explain how, if they were to become government, they will insure full access to patients for all Canadians, what ever is their health conditions and wherever they live in Canada. 

Medical isotopes

Production of medical isotopes is mainly used for the treatment of cancer patients and is under the care of Atomic Energy Canada. Experts have already made recommendations to the federal government for the continuation of its production. In view of the actual federal government orientation to cease production of medical isotopes by the end of 2015, political parties must firmly engage and commit themselves for the continuation of production of medical isotopes after 2015.

Termination of life physician assistance

Federal government's silence on termination of life physician assistance on the eve of putting in application of Quebec law on the matter, following supreme court of Canada ruling, is unacceptable. Federal parties must clearly engage and commit themselves to legislate, if they were to become next federal government, to conform with population wide consensus and supreme court ruling on the matter. 

Founded in 1972 by the late Claude Brunet, the Council for the protection of patients' rights is a non-profit organization that promotes and defends users' rights and promotes the humanization of health care throughout Quebec.

_______________________

¹ CROP poll 2015;  CROP-CBC 2014; Canadian medical association 2013

SOURCE Conseil pour la protection des malades

Mr. Paul G. Brunet, CEO and spokesperson, Council for the protection of patients and Federation of user's and resident's committees of Quebec, Phone: [phone] - 1877.CPM.AIDE, Cellular : [phone], Email: [email protected], Web: www.cpm.qc.ca