Manitoba’s unique health care burdens stall federal deal – CMAJ

June 26, 2017

For nearly three months, Manitoba has stood alone. Every other jurisdiction in Canada has signed a health care deal with the federal government. But Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister remains defiant, saying that negotiations are ongoing, but the deal offered by the federal government is “bad” and will “continue to be a bad deal whether 10 provinces sign it or nine.”

The two main issues that Pallister wants the federal government to address are funding for diabetes and Indigenous health care. Some health experts in Manitoba agree with the premier that these issues are uniquely important in the province.

Manitoba has a unique burden with regards to diabetes in the Indigenous population, according to Alan Katz, director of the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy. The rates of type 2 diabetes in Indigenous youth and adolescents are extremely high, he said, and the associated health care costs are considerable.

Read More: http://www.cmaj.ca/content/189/25/E873.short