Ottawa pinpoints 5 ‘concrete’ priorities after health ministers meet on P.E.I. – CBC
2-day meeting comes at a time when many say Canada’s health situation is in crisis
Oct 12, 2023
Health ministers from across the country wrapped up two days of meetings in Charlottetown Thursday and their federal counterpart says he is taking five “concrete” priorities home to Ottawa as a result of it.
Federal Health Minister Mark Holland listed those items in a communique after groups representing doctors and nurses demanded the ministers leave the gathering “with a clear commitment to urgent action.”
The strategies listed in the communique were:
A focus on retention, by creating a nursing retention tool kit for provinces;
A new examination of health-care training and supply demands in Canada, with a focus on supporting Indigenous people interested in health careers;
A reduction in the time it takes for internationally educated health professionals to begin working in Canada, by allowing them to begin the credential process overseas. There will also be a 90-day standard for provincial professional colleges to recognize those credentials once the workers are here;
Progress on labour mobility to allow health workers to work anywhere in the country, starting with doctors this year and nurses in future years;
A new “Centre of Excellence for the Future of the Health Workforce” to improve the sharing and availability of workforce data and planning to better understand Canada’s future health-care needs. That way when there are staffing crunches, provinces can see it coming and prepare.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-health-care-meeting-1.6993910
