OTTAWA — The president of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) says that while the new healthcare funding agreement between the provinces and the Canadian government represents the largest injection of cash into Canada’s healthcare system, it isn’t enough to fix the broken pots.
The association compared this latest federal-state agreement to other health agreements concluded over the past two decades. During this study, it turned out to be the largest deal by far, with gains of about $16 billion per year over 10 years.
The analysis also attempted to determine whether such funding arrangements have made any difference in the past.
dr Alika Lafontaine, president of the association, says that in the past big investments seemed to make a difference, but progress slowed down when the parties stopped working together.
He cites as an example the $1 billion spent by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper on reducing waiting times, an amount of money that appears to have made a significant difference.
dr But Lafontaine says the problems facing healthcare workers today are far more serious and will require political will and collaboration to overcome them.
Alika Lafontaine, anesthetist, lives in Grande Prairie, Alberta.
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