Tackle long-term care needs: CMA

Canadians deserve better value for health-care spending, the head of the Canadian Medical Association said in outlining the group's recommendations ahead of the next federal budget.

Dr. Jeffrey Turnbull, president of the CMA, made a presentation to the House standing committee during the Department of Finance's pre-budget consultations on Wednesday.

Turnbull strongly urged the federal government to start discussions now with provinces and territories on how to transform the health-care system to meet patients' needs in a sustainable manner ahead of the expiry of the Health Accord in March 2014.

The 2004 Health Care Accord was a 10-year agreement that included an annual funding increase of six per cent.

In the short term, Turnbull called on the federal government to:

• Invest in retaining and recruiting more doctors and nurses, including further investments in residency positions and programs to repatriate Canadian-trained physicians living abroad.
• Bolster public health e-infrastructure to improve data collection and analysis between local public health authorities and primary-care practices and create a cross-Canada strategy to respond to potential health crises.
• Study options to encourage Canadians to finance their future long-term care needs.
• Explore tax credits and direct compensation for seniors' informal caregivers.
• Increase RRSP limits and explore opportunities to provide pension options for self-employed Canadians.

Turnbull gave examples from his experiences as chief of staff of the Ottawa Hospital. On Tuesday for example, the hospital had 158 patients waiting for beds in long-term care facilities, while 30 emergency department patients were admitted but beds were only available for four of them, he said.

The CMA's long-term vision also includes recommendations on universal access to prescription drugs, greater use of health information technology and immediate construction of long-term care facilities.