With the provincial government talking about merging health units as a way to modernize the public health care system, the government is nearing the end of their consultation with health care officials.
Thunder Bay Health Unit Medical Officer of Health, Janet DeMille tells us they won’t be mincing words in their letter saying the current funding climate is tough. “It’s very hard to deliver all our public health programs and services in this fiscal environment and we do have information on funding disparities across health units and where we are in that. It’s a very challenging situation and we have a number of significant public health issues that we have to deal with.”
DeMille says they are also telling the government there is a real need to change legislation so it will allow for Indigenous run health care systems, “the current legislation, the health and protection and promotion act, really puts public health with boards of health and municipalities and doesn’t really recognize or give authority to First Nation public health systems, so that needs to change.”
Staff at the local health unit are also getting an opportunity to voice their thoughts and concerns to the province.
