Roy Romanow, head of the
Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada, has recommended sweeping
changes to ensure the longterm sustainability of Canada's health care system.
The proposed changes were outlined in the Commission's Final Report,
Building on Values: The Future of Health Care in Canada, which was
tabled in the House of Commons November 28, 2002.
The Commission's final
report comprises 47 detailed, costed recommendations that include
implementation time frames. “My recommendations are premised on three
overarching themes. First, that we require strong leadership and improved
governance to keep Medicare a national asset. Second, that we need to make the
system more responsive and efficient as well as more accountable to Canadians.
And third, that we need to make strategic investments over the short-term to
address priority concerns, as well as over the long-term to place the system on
a more sustainable footing.” Commissioner Romanow explained.
Report
highlights include:
- Renewing the foundations of the health care system by
establishing a Canadian Health Covenant to express Canadians' collective vision
for health care and updating the Canada Health Act
- Fostering collaboration among governments, providers and
citizens through a new Health Council of Canada
- Achieving the goal of adequate, stable and predictable
funding
- Making the system more comprehensive by integrating priority
home care services
- Improving timely access to quality care for all Canadians
through special initiatives to improve waitlist management, by removing
obstacles to primary care reform, and by increasing the supply of advanced
diagnostic services and of health care providers across Canada
- Encouraging a national personal electronic health record
system and protecting the security and privacy of Canadians' personal health
information through amendments to the Criminal Code of Canada.
An on-line version of the final report is available on the
Library and Archives Canada website:
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/webarchives/20071115024341/www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/care/romanow/index1.html
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