Patient groups call on all federal Parties: State your health commitments for the 2019 federal election

OTTAWA, June 18, 2019 /CNW/ - Patient groups are asking why Canada's political Parties are not doing a better job at articulating a comprehensive approach to health care in the run up to the federal election. The federal Health Minister expressed support for the Hoskins Report on national pharmacare issued last week, however, while one piece of the puzzle, this report is not a comprehensive health care strategy. The NDP also announced support for pharmacare this weekend. Such a strategy must cover the continuum of care from prevention, to treatment, to palliative and end of life care with specific plans for fast growing groups including seniors, cancer survivors, and people living with chronic conditions.

For too many years, funding for urgent health care needs has taken a back seat to economic issues. It is time for the leaders of each of the federal Parties to prioritize the needs of patients, and announce their commitments that will help to keep people in Canada healthy.

New findings released June 17^th by Nanos Research revealed that Canadians are demanding action on health care. Some of the key points include:

• Nearly nine in ten Canadians rate as a high or medium priority, spending more tax dollars to provide seniors with access to the care they need in the last years of their lives;
• Seven in ten Canadians rate as a high or medium priority, spending more tax dollars to fight cancer; and
• Close to nine in ten Canadians rate as a high or medium priority, spending more tax dollars to ensure that as health care needs grow, federal government transfers for health care to the provinces grow.

"Canadians are generally proud of our universal health care system, but more needs to be done. Shockingly, Save Your Skin Foundation has seen people forced to sell everything to get proper cancer care in Canada. This is unacceptable and must be addressed by our federal government moving forward," stated Louise Binder, Health Policy Consultant for Save Your Skin Foundation.

"It's clear from the Nanos poll that Canadians rank healthcare as a priority but our political leaders are not on the same page. This must change so Canadians not only live longer but are also able to enjoy a quality of life" noted Martine Elias, Executive Director, Myeloma Canada and Chair of CONECTed, a collaboration of national cancer patient groups.

"People with chronic conditions want assurance that the health system can respond to their health care needs throughout all stages of their lives, including the later years when needs can be most significant," added Antonella Scali, Executive Director, Canadian Psoriasis Network.

These patient groups will be launching the Vote Health First website (www.votehealthfirst.ca) where, as we move closer to the election, Canadians will be able to learn more about health care and Party platforms, as well as challenging candidates to commit to working for better care in Canada. 

SOURCE Save Your Skin Foundation