Agreements will enhance wages for personal support workers,
and improve access to and affordability of drugs for rare
diseases
VANCOUVER, BC, July 23,
2024 /CNW/ - Canadians deserve a health care system
that provides timely access to quality health services and
medications, regardless of where they live or their ability to pay.
The Government of Canada
recognizes that concerted and collaborative efforts by federal,
provincial, and territorial governments are needed to improve
health care for Canadians, including through better supporting
health workers and ensuring access to medications for all.
That is why today, the Honourable Mark Holland, Canada's Minister of Health, and the
Honourable Adrian Dix, British Columbia's (BC) Minister of Health,
announced a $426 million federal
investment as part of two bilateral agreements to support the
health of people in BC.
Through the Aging with Dignity Agreement to support Personal
Support Workers (PSW), or Health Care Assistants (HCAs) as they are
known in BC, the Government of Canada will provide new funding of more than
$232 million to be invested over the
next five years to help BC support compensation for nearly 13,000
HCA full-time equivalents working in publicly-funded long-term care
and assisted living facilities. This is an amendment to the
Agreement, announced in February
2024. HCAs have long provided essential supports for
Canadians to live and age with dignity. This was especially
demonstrated through their dedication working on the frontlines
during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this partnership, BC will be
able to improve recruitment and retention, by ensuring these
workers have better wages and benefits.
In addition, through the Agreement to support drugs for rare
diseases (DRD), the Government of Canada will provide $194 million to improve access to drugs for rare
diseases, early diagnosis, and screening, starting with the funding
to support the province in providing access of two drugs under the
National Strategy for Rare Diseases.
In Canada, 1 in 12 people live
with a rare disease. While there are thousands of rare diseases,
unfortunately treatments are only available for a small percentage
of these conditions. And, for most people suffering, the cost of
these treatments puts them out of reach.
Today, the Ministers announced that Poteligeo, for the
treatment of mycosis fungoides or Sézary syndrome, and
Oxlumo, for the treatment of hyperoxaluria type 1, will be
made available to residents of BC. These two drugs are the first
drugs to be announced from the common list of new drugs that has
been in development over the last year with provinces and
territories.
The names of other drugs on the common list will be
published online on a drug-by-drug basis as the pan-Canadian
Pharmaceutical Alliance concludes its price negotiations for each
drug. In addition, BC is committing through this agreement to work
with Canada and other provinces
and territories on developing and implementing a plan for improving
screening and diagnostics for rare diseases.
The Government of Canada
remains committed to working with provinces and territories to
improve health care for all Canadians, including access to
affordable prescription medications, and to achieve better health
outcomes for everyone.
Quotes
"Reaching these agreements is another step in our collaborative
efforts to build a stronger public health system for people in BC.
Health Care Assistants play a key role in helping those who need
long-term care to live and age with dignity, and they deserve to be
compensated fairly. Additionally, this first ever agreement to
support drugs for rare diseases will improve access to medications,
early diagnosis, and screening, so that people in BC with rare
diseases have the best health outcome possible."
The Honourable Mark Holland
Minister of Health
"We are committed to making our province the best place for
people to work in the health-care sector and to receive care.
Through these bilateral agreements we are raising the standard for
wages and benefits for our health care assistants as they continue
to provide vital care for seniors and making expensive medications
more accessible for people with rare diseases. This is about
investing in people and building a stronger, more equitable
health-care system that works for everyone, patients and providers
alike."
The Honourable Adrian Dix
British Columbia's Minister of
Health
"Our government is committed to working with our provincial
partners to solve the important issues Canadians tasked us with.
Thanks to historic bilateral agreements like these, our governments
are taking a further step on our shared path to ensure people in BC
have a truly resilient and stronger public healthcare system.
Through this newly signed agreement, we will empower healthcare
workers to properly help those who need assisted living or
long-term care to live and age with dignity because we know they
are the backbone of our society and provide essential care to all
of us. Additionally, thanks to this agreement, our governments are
improving access to medications, early diagnosis, and screening for
rare diseases so that everyone can have the best health outcome
possible."
Taleeb Noormohamed
Member of Parliament for Vancouver Granville and Parliamentary
Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage
"Health care assistants play an integral part in all care
settings, especially by providing critically important care and
services to seniors living in long-term care or assisted living.
This investment will help attract and retain more people to this
career and grow this workforce. It is another step we're taking
towards bettering care for seniors, allowing them to age in
dignity, near their loved ones, and I am grateful to the federal
government for their support and partnership in this work."
Harwinder Sandhu
British Columbia's Parliamentary
Secretary for Seniors' Services and Long-Term Care
Quick Facts
- Budget 2023 outlined the Working Together to Improve Health
Care for Canadians plan, through which the Government of
Canada is investing close to
$200 billion over 10 years, including
$46.2 billion in new funding for
provinces and territories, to improve health care for Canadians.
Within this funding, $25 billion is
allocated through new tailored bilateral agreements to address the
unique needs of their populations and geography in four shared
health priorities:
- expanding access to family health services, including in rural
and remote areas;
- supporting health workers and reducing backlogs;
- increasing mental health and substance use support; and
modernizing health care systems with health data and digital
tools.
- The Working Together to Improve Health Care for
Canadians plan also outlined an investment of $1.709 billion over five years to increase the
wages of Personal Support Workers (PSWs) and related professions
and support other recruitment and retention measures for PSWs.
- This funding will be accessible to provinces and territories
through an amendment to their Aging with Dignity agreements
and will extend their agreement by one year (until 2028-29).
British Columbia's PSW amendment
has been added to their Aging with Dignity Agreement and
Action Plan posted online.
- The Aging with Dignity agreements also include
$2.4 billion ($600 million per year for fiscal years 2023-24 to
2026-27) over four years to improve access to home and community
care from Budget 2017; and $3 billion
($600 million per year for fiscal
years 2023-24 to 2027-28) over five years for long-term care from
Budget 2021 to apply standards of care in long-term care facilities
and help support workforce stability.
- To support the four shared health priorities, Canada and British
Columbia also signed a three-year Working
Together Agreement and Action Plan, announced on October 10, 2023.
- In Canada, 1 out of 12 people
has a rare disease. There are thousands of different rare diseases.
Treatments are not always readily available, and even when they
are, those treatments are often unaffordable or out of
reach.
- Innovative treatments for rare diseases can cost anywhere from
$100,000 to more than $4 million per year.
- In March 2023, the Government of
Canada announced an investment of
up to $1.5 billion over three years
to support the National Strategy for Drugs for Rare
Diseases, including up to $1.4
billion for bilateral agreements with provinces and
territories (PTs) to help patients with rare diseases have access
to treatments as early as possible, for better quality of
life.
- British Columbia's Drugs for
Rare Diseases Agreement has been posted online.
Related Products
- Backgrounder: Personal Support Worker Amendment – British
Columbia Agreement
- Backgrounder: Drugs for Rare Diseases – British Columbia
Agreement
Associated Links
- Working Together to Improve Health Care in Canada
- National Strategy for Drugs for Rare Diseases
- Budget 2023
- Implementation Advisory Group (IAG) for the National Strategy
for Drugs for Rare Diseases
SOURCE Health Canada (HC)