Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you very much to all of the committee members for the opportunity to speak with you.
Frankly, I'm not sure I can say anything today you haven't already heard. That being said, given the opportunity, I'll certainly underline some of the key issues. My presentation will be moving very much from the front lines to the systems issues, so it will likely be a different perspective for you.
I am going to assume that most around this table do know that the Canadian Healthcare Association is a federation of provincial and territorial hospital and health organizations. We really do represent a very broad continuum of health in this country.
I have to tell you that the members of CHA are, in general, very satisfied with the treatment of the issue thus far and are certainly in agreement with the Public Health Agency of Canada's management of this file. We know there have been glitches along the way and that there are still issues to be dealt with, but I did want to pass on that message from our members.
That being said, there are seven points that I think you should hear about today, which I'll make fairly quickly to leave lots of time for questions.
One goes without saying, and that is the importance of an evidence-based approach in everything we do. It does speak to an issue just raised about getting the public's confidence. We recognize that we cannot truly predict the full severity and impact of a potential outbreak, but it's very important that all of us, including our media stakeholders, are sensitive to the negative effect of fear on both the general public and the professional health system community. Therefore, it's critical that we make sure the decisions reached and strategies implemented are evidence-based as much as we can and that we accept scientific guidelines as credible and legitimate.
Perhaps one of our most important points has been addressed by Dr. Kumar, and that is the role of prevention. We know that current data suggest that only about 35% of Canadians at large will take advantage of immunization. We also know that many health care workers haven't been taking advantage of the seasonal flu vaccination; there's only about a 40% to 60% compliance rate among them. So programs and approaches must be put in place to promote or encourage all Canadians, including health care staff, to be vaccinated against H1N1. We have to convey with great confidence that evidence supports mass inoculation and collectively encourage Canadians to subscribe to this approach.
While Dr. Kumar was speaking, I found myself wondering whether having this entire committee receive their vaccinations on national TV might be a good way of instilling confidence, showing all-party support for an initiative. But I'll leave that with you for in camera discussion.