Saturday

Provincial/territorial ministers' call for better seniors care welcome news, says Canadian Medical Association president

OTTAWA, October 4, 2013 /Canada NewsWire/ - The Canadian Medical Association salutes the direction taken by provincial- territorial health ministers on the importance of seniors care, CMA President Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti said. The CMA has been urging all levels of government, including municipal, to develop a pan-Canadian approach to provide care for our aging population.

"Now it is time for the federal government to step up to the plate and work with the provincial and territorial and municipal governments to develop and implement a pan-Canadian senior's strategy for senior's health care," he said. This is what Canadians want them to do."

Dr. Francescutti was commenting on a communique issued yesterday by the provincial and territorial health ministers after a day-long meeting in Toronto.

In recognition of Canada's aging population and growing health care demands, the ministers said in a press release they discussed the need for "a better continuum of care" to support seniors aging at home and in the community.

The ministers also discussed to the need to ensure seniors have high-quality supports to avoid hospitalization or return home after hospitalization, as well as the importance of proper diagnosis and high-quality care for seniors with dementia.

Four in five Canadians (85%) believe it is time for Canada to develop a comprehensive seniors strategy for long-term care and home care given the aging population of baby boomer, according to a July poll by Ipsos Reid for the CMA.

The ministers also discussed appropriateness of care.

"Canada's physicians continue to advocate for appropriateness of care as long as the first objective is the quality of care provided to patients," Dr. Francescutti added. "There can be no substitute for quality care as an objective."

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is the national voice of Canadian physicians. Founded in 1867, the CMA is a voluntary professional organization representing more than 78,000 of Canada's physicians and comprising 12 provincial and territorial medical associations and 51 national medical organizations. CMA's mission is to serve and unite the physicians of Canada and be the national advocate, in partnership with the people of Canada, for the highest standards of health and health care.