Earlier this week, the provincial government of Saskatchewan signed a bilateral agreement with the federal government in regards to targeted federal health care funding.
“I am pleased that the Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan have finalized a bilateral agreement for home and community care, and mental health and addiction services,” Ginette Petitpas Taylor Minister of Health said in the Government of Saskatchewan media release. “The federal government is committed to working with the provinces and territories so that Canadians have access to the health services they need.”
This bilateral agreement is significant, not only because the federal and provincial governments are pooling funds together for health care expansion, but it also is a shift in how the province will be viewing its health care changes in the future.
Over the next five years, Saskatchewan will invest approximately $158 M as part of a 10-year countrywide financial commitment nearly $350 million. The focus in spending and expansion falls in line with the objectives and the pan-Canadian priorities set out in the Common Statement of Principles on Shared Health Priorities that were agreed upon by the provinces and territories back in August 2017.
Saskatchewan Health Minister Jim Reiter said that he viewed the bilateral agreement as a step forward for the healthcare as a whole in Saskatchewan. “This funding will help us…support our population in receiving health services in the most appropriate settings.”
The settings Reiter spoke of include shifting care services from hospitals to community settings; improving access to palliative care; offering mental health services for youth through training programs; expanding internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy services; and increasing the capacity for diagnosis and treatments for children, youth and families.
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