OTTAWA, Ontario January 30, 2014 /Canada NewsWire/ - The Arthritis Society and the New Brunswick Society of Retired Teachers have joined the growing list of organizations endorsing the Principles to Guide Health Care Transformation in Canada, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) said today.
This brings to 134 the number of organizations who have lent their support to the foundational principles for building a health care system that puts patients first.
"I am pleased that the two organizations have found value in endorsing the joint principles," said Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti, CMA President. "Transforming the health care system is a priority not only for health care professionals but also for patient groups and other organizations that have an interest in health care issues."
The principles were developed in 2011 by the CMA and the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) to guide the transformation of the health care system in Canada. The goal is for Canada's public health care system to provide quality care and to be sustainable, equitable, accountable and patient-centred, with a greater emphasis on prevention. (Click here to see the principles.)
"The Arthritis Society welcomes the initiative of the CMA and the CNA to put forward principles to guide the transformation our health care system to one that is sustainable, adequately resourced and provides universal access to high quality, patient-centred care," said Janet Yale, president and CEO of The Arthritis Society. "We wholeheartedly endorse the principles and look forward to collaborating with the CMA, CNA, and other health care advocates to advance this work with federal, provincial and territorial governments."
"As an organization, we are most pleased to add our support to the principles," said Roger H. Nesbitt, President of the New Brunswick Society of Retired Teachers. "As Canadians, we believe that affordable and sustainable health care is one of the most important rights we have in this country and it must be protected and improved upon. We support wholeheartedly, the efforts of the CMA in the achievement of this most worthwhile 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 80,000 of Canada's physicians and comprising 12 provincial and territorial medical associations and 60 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.
