Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joins B.C. Premier David Eby to announce agreement intended to reduce waiting times and boost support for long-term care, mental health and addictions
Mr. Trudeau said that new money comes with some strings attached, including accountability measures to ensure the funding improves outcomes, and a joint commitment to streamline foreign credential recognition for health professionals, and to improve labour mobility for key health professionals.
In the budget tabled on Tuesday, B.C. forecasts a $3.2-billion increase in health care spending, to a total of $28.5-billion. While the province had already included some of the new federal funding in the budget, the bilateral agreement will add an extra $329-million to that total this year.Health care systems across the country have not yet recovered from thestrain and staffing shortages, particularly among nurses and physicians, are acute. In B.C.
Mr. Eby welcomed Wednesday’s agreement with Ottawa, saying it provides stable funding for the coming decade. But he noted that the province has already laid out a plan to clear away some of the hurdles facing foreign-trained health workers. “The piece that is really going to make a difference is getting people off the sidelines who could do work for us right now in our communities and in our hospitals,” Mr. Eby said.
B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said his government has added a net total of 38,000 health care workers since 2017, and the province is leading the country in adding more nurses. But it isn’t enough to meet significant growth in demand. “We need another 38,000 over the next five years,” he said in an interview. “This money helps with that.”
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