Ottawa’s new deal could mean 5 per cent more for health care in P.E.I. but King says 12 per cent increase needed
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new deal might imply $48 million extra for P.E.I.’s health-care system however Premier Dennis King, together with all provincial and territorial premiers, stated the {dollars} have been nowhere close to what is required.
Talking at a press convention after a day of negotiations with Trudeau, all premiers expressed varied ranges of disappointment with the greenback determine supplied by the federal authorities.
For greater than two years, the premiers have been asking the federal authorities to extend its share of health-care funding from 22 per cent to 35 per cent – which might add as much as a $48 billion yearly enhance in federal {dollars}.
Trudeau’s health-care deal, offered in full to the premiers for the primary time in Ottawa on Feb. 7, supplied a complete of $196.1 billion in spending over the following 10 years. Nevertheless, solely $46.2 billion of that may be new spending – about $4.6 billion per yr.
“There wasn’t lots in the best way of latest funding,” stated Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson in a press convention late within the afternoon on Feb. 7.
“I feel we have been a little bit dissatisfied at that.”
Requested for his response to the deal, King stated the brand new cash would imply a $48 million enhance within the province’s health-care finances this yr alone. Whereas this could quantity to a 4 or 5 per cent enhance, King stated a 12 per cent enhance within the finances is required this yr.
Well being P.E.I. CEO Michael Gardam informed a standing committee final week {that a} $100 million injection of latest funding is required for the province to make wanted enhancements to the state of care on the Island.
P.E.I., like different provinces, is coping with a big scarcity of health-care staff, together with nurses, docs and allied well being staff.
However King added that he felt healthcare discussions usually focus an excessive amount of on the {dollars} and cents wanted and never on the elemental adjustments which can be wanted.
“We’ve led many Canadians to consider that cash goes to repair this and that’s not completely correct,” King stated, referring to the premiers and Ottawa.
“We do want cash to assist with the improvements and to get individuals inside the system to alter what they do and perhaps broaden what they do. Nevertheless it isn’t nearly cash.”
The King authorities has begun setting up collaborative apply clinics, often called medical houses, which contain a multi-disciplinary workforce of suppliers comparable to docs, nurses, physiotherapists and different allied well being staff. However regardless of the presence of those clinics, the variety of Islanders with no major care supplier has continued to develop within the final yr. As of February 6, 27,237 Island residents – about 16 per cent of the inhabitants – lack a major care supplier.
The general Federal deal would imply P.E.I.’s complete federal allocations for healthcare funding would add as much as $1 billion over 10 years.
King is scheduled to satisfy Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa on the afternoon of February 8.
Stu Neatby is a political reporter with the SaltWire Community in Prince Edward Island. He might be reached by e mail at [email protected] and adopted on Twitter @stu_neatby.
