PEI Health and Social Services Minister Mildred Dover is hoping that tomorrow's meeting of federal and provincial health ministers will result in increased federal funding for health care.
She said provincial governments will be pressuring the federal government for full and immediate restoration of federal funding for health care to 1994-1995 levels. They will also be asking for an appropriate escalator to be put in place to meet growing costs.
"Health Care is the number one priority of Islanders and all Canadians, and the provinces cannot continue to deliver it without the support of the federal government," she said, "Provincial governments are now spending almost 40 percent of our budgets on health care, while the federal government spends less than five percent of its expenditures on health care. The Government of Canada must recognize its role in our partnership by restoring the Canada Health and Social Transfer (CHST) to the level it was before they began to make major cuts to the provinces in 1994-1995."
Minister Dover said provincial health ministers agree unanimously on the need to restore funding for services before going any further. "All provincial and territorial ministers share Canada's sense of urgency to sustain our health system before we can even begin to talk about reforming it," she said.
Restoration of the CHST to 94-95 levels would mean an additional 16.5 million dollars annually for PEI. "This is a very significant amount for PEI, and these dollars could make a real difference in our health care services," said Minister Dover, "For example, it is more than the total annual budgets of two of our five health regions. It is equivalent to the cost of hiring 80 new family physicians or 100 new nurses."
The minister said that the provincial government has managed to maintain and enhance health services during the past four years in spite of decreased federal funding. "We have done so through carefully planned and controlled expenditures because we know how important health care is to Islanders, and because we are committed to the principles of Medicare," she said, "However it has meant added pressure on other parts of our system which would not be necessary if the federal government recognizes its responsibility to the Canadian health care system.
"Medicare started out as a 50-50 partnership," she said, "However, it is no longer a successful partnership when the provincial government provides 87 cents of every public health dollar, and Ottawa pays only 13 cents. These are the concerns provincial and territorial ministers will be taking to the table tomorrow."