Yukon Joins with Canada's New Government to Announce Patient Wait Times Guarantee

News Release
2007-40
April 11, 2007
For immediate release

YELLOWKNIFE - The Honourable Tony Clement, Federal Minister of Health, and the Honourable Brad Cathers, Yukon Minister of Health and Social Services, today announced that Yukon has agreed to establish a Patient Wait Times Guarantee for mammography. Federal budget funding of $4.5 million will go towards supporting the mammography wait time guarantee, and other ways to improve access and reduce wait times. Yukon will also be eligible to benefit from the $400 million in new funding for Canada Health Infoway, and the $30 million for pilot projects as announced in Budget 2007.

"We are proud that Yukon is among the territories and provinces who have each taken up Canada's New Government's offer to move forward and initiate a Wait Times Guarantee, which is the next logical step and next important advance in Canada's healthcare," said Minister Clement.

As a small jurisdiction, Yukon faces unique challenges in providing timely health care services to its citizens. Nonetheless, as part of Yukon's broader efforts to address those challenges, it has committed to a mammography wait time guarantee. The Government of Yukon will undertake pilot projects to improve timely access to mammography which will assist in laying the groundwork for the establishment of a guarantee in February 2010.

"In Yukon, we are working hard to provide Yukon residents with effective, sustainable health care in a timely and appropriate way. Mammography screening is an important tool for the early detection of breast cancer. We are pleased to work toward the establishment of a wait time guarantee for this service" said Minister Cathers. "We will also use the opportunity of this funding to improve access in other priority areas for Yukoners, and further details will be available at a later date."

This announcement marks another step forward by Canada's New Government as it continues to work towards ensuring that all Canadians receive medically necessary care and treatment within clinically acceptable wait times.

Canada's New Government is providing up to $612 million in a Patient Wait Times Guarantee Trust, and $400 million for health information technology through Infoway, an organization which is making significant progress in working with provinces and territories to implement electronic health records. In addition to these investments, $30 million over three years will go to provinces and territories for pilot projects related to establishing guarantees.

"Canadians want their territorial, provincial and federal governments to work together to ensure that timely treatment is available for them and their families. Today's announcement, like the others, shows that a patient wait times guarantee is achievable when all governments work collaboratively," said the Honourable Jim Prentice, Regional Minister for Alberta and the Territories. "Canadians expect us to work together in their best interest."

Today's announcement complements a number of previously launched federally funded pilot projects toward achieving timely access to better care. These include three which are designed to test guarantees for prenatal and diabetes care in selected First Nations communities, while a fourth is a national paediatric pilot project to address wait times for children in need of surgery.

-30-

---

Media Enquiries:
Carole Saindon
Health Canada
(613) 957-1588

Rita Smith
Office of the Honourable Tony Clement
Federal Minister of Health
(613) 957-0200

Patricia Living
Yukon Health and Social Services
(867) 667-3673

Public Enquiries:
(613) 957-2991
1-866 225-0709