Thank you, Madam Chair.
I'm Marlene Smadu. I'm the president of the Canadian Nurses Association. We represent over 133,000 registered nurses throughout the country.
Thank you for the opportunity to outline CNA's review of the progress of the 10-year plan to strengthen health care. I will make brief comments, with some recommendations around five of the areas. Further detail is provided in our brief.
First is a national pharmaceutical strategy. As part of the 10-year plan, first ministers agreed to the national pharmaceuticals strategy. In June of 2006, the national pharmaceuticals task force released its progress report to Canadians. CNA is concerned that many of the issues identified as priorities in the NPS are being addressed in isolation and that more focus needs to be put on a comprehensive strategy that addresses the issues, so we recommend sustained effort by the federal, provincial, and territorial governments to develop and implement a national strategy as outlined in the framework for a Canadian pharmaceutical strategy.
Second is health human resources. We would like to commend the government on the development of a framework for pan-Canadian health human resource planning and the consultation that provided for stakeholder input. Unfortunately, progress on this action plan remains slow. We are concerned over the lack of pan-Canadian coordination. No provincial or territorial health system functions in isolation from others. Mobility of health professionals is one example of this issue.
All signs suggest that we are on the brink of a health human resource crisis. A key solution to the nursing crisis lies in more effective use of our existing resources. By including technology, changing work processes, and addressing those issues in the workplace that lead to absenteeism, greater efficiency of the health workforce can be achieved. Several organizations have made significant progress on this, yet there is no formal mechanism to share these learnings across Canada or our organizations. Therefore, CNA recommends that first ministers establish a formal mechanism to promote the sharing and adoption of the innovative yet practical solutions to the health workforce crisis.
Third is primary care reform. The 10-year plan identified the electronic health record as a priority for primary care reform. Despite the numerous documented benefits of an EHR, progress has been slow. CNA recommends that funding for the Canada Health Infoway be increased and accelerated in order to realize the first ministers' vision of the electronic health record.
Fourth is the area of health innovation. The 10-year plan recognized the importance of science, technology, and research to strengthening our health system, as well as our competitiveness and productivity. CNA feels there is significant room for improvement, in terms of investment in information and communications technology. In the area of ICT, health care lags 25 to 30 years behind the banking industry and other industries. To promote the purchase of ICT in the health sector, CNA recommends that governments establish a 100% rebate of the goods and services tax charged to ICT purchases in the health system.
In the area of research, nursing science has been shown to reduce mortality, improve quality, and contain costs, contributing to Canada's economic advantage. Through the $25 million Nursing Research Fund, we have built research capacity and a strong nursing science foundation over the last 10 years, but ongoing research investment is needed. CNA recommends the federal government support a new, 10-year, $79 million federal program submitted by the Canadian Consortium for Nursing Research and Innovation to meet these goals and enhance nursing's contribution to the health and life sciences.
Finally, there is accountability. Though transfers to the provinces increased dramatically as a result of the 10-year plan, they were not necessarily matched with accountability. Health Canada has reporting obligations to Parliament and must monitor and enforce the five criteria and the two conditions of the Canada Health Act. However, Health Canada continues to allow provinces and territories to refuse to provide information on the for-profit delivery of health care in their jurisdictions. CNA recommends that Health Canada make use of its discretionary powers to enforce the principles and conditions of the Canada Health Act with respect to its transfers and report back to Parliament.
In conclusion, while progress has been made on some elements of the 10-year plan, significant challenges and opportunities remain.
Thank you for the opportunity.