Executive Council
July 17, 2015

The following is being distributed at the request of the Council of the Federation:

Health Care remains a top priority

The Premiers’ Health Care Innovation Working Group continues to address the health needs of Canadians through collaborative efforts by provinces and territories. Co-chair Premiers will continue their leadership towards more effective delivery of health care services by focusing on the following priority areas: pharmaceuticals, appropriateness of care, and senior care and dementia. Progress and improvements in health care remain ongoing. Over the past year, partnerships have achieved significant cost-savings on drugs where the annual combined savings from provincial/territorial collaboration on both brand and generic drug pricing initiatives are estimated to be $490 million.

The pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA) is increasing access to drug treatment options; achieving lower drug costs and consistent pricing; and, improving consistency of coverage criteria across Canada.

Premiers acknowledged the interest of the Federal Government to participate in the pCPA, and provinces and territories will begin discussions on the details of potential federal participation in the coming months.

Provinces and territories will continue this important work and will also undertake further analysis on broader approaches relating to pharmacare programs used in other jurisdictions and assess how these models could inform more cost-efficient and accessible health systems for all Canadians.

Premiers also discussed the importance of supporting a healthy population and recognised that all government departments and agencies can positively impact the health and wellness of Canadians. Ensuring Canadians have access to services they need and are supported to make healthy decisions is important.

Primary health care is often a person’s first point of contact with the health system and plays an important role in illness prevention and health promotion. Team based models have been shown to be successful at improving patient outcomes and increasing the scope of service that can be provided within communities. Premiers agreed that provincial/territorial health ministers would continue efforts to identify further areas where provincial/territorial collaboration can achieve valuable results in primary health care for Canadians, including a focus on mental health and addictions.

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Media contact:

Heather MacLean Director of Communications Office of the Premier Government of Newfoundland and Labrador 709-729-3581 M heathermaclean@gov.nl.ca

2015 07 17                              3:40 p.m.