$66 MILLION TO IMPROVE PATIENT ACCESS TO QUALITY HEALTH CARE

Saskatchewan Health Minister John Nilson today announced a $66 million investment in several priority areas to improve patient access to quality health care, following the First Ministers' Meeting in Ottawa in September.

Nilson unveiled the government's plans to allocate the first year of incremental federal funding, arising from the 2004 First Ministers' Meeting, at a news conference in Regina today. These include:

- Reducing surgical backlogs and expanding diagnostic capacity;

- Retaining health care providers by providing safer, higher quality workplaces, continuing education and training;

-Making capital equipment and infrastructure replacement and upgrades; and

-Buying change with quality improvements, efficiency reviews, and investments in information technology that supports front line service delivery.

"Improving access to quality health care services is a key goal of the 10-year plan to strengthen health care agreed to by First Ministers in Ottawa in September. It was paramount in our decisions about how to invest this incremental funding, as well as in integrating this funding with our Action Plan for Saskatchewan Health Care, 2001," Nilson said. "We are focusing on priority areas to address immediate needs within the health system, while at the same time providing a basis for improved, sustainable health delivery in the future."

The First Ministers' Meeting agreement provides an additional $66 million to Saskatchewan in 2004-05 and a further $97 million next year. On average, the province will receive an additional $90 million per year over six years.

In the first year of this multi-year agreement, Saskatchewan's priority is on one-time purchases that will address urgent pressures and that will buy immediate improvements in health care in Saskatchewan.

While the new federal funding allows for an investment in priority areas, it does not address all of the competing demands for health care funding, Nilson said.

The additional federal money amounts to about 3 per cent of the total $2.7 billion health budget. Health costs are rising at approximately 6 per cent annually.

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For More Information, Contact:

Lindy McIntyre Health Regina Phone: (306) 787-2743