VANCOUVER - Government and individual Canadians must improve efforts to prevent a "growing epidemic" of chronic health conditions that now make up the largest chunk of strained health-care budgets, a new report says.
A Health Council of Canada report released Thursday says there are nine million Canadians living with chronic health conditions. "This figure may be a surprise to people," said Dr. Ian Bowmer, the council's vice-chairman. "Probably not a surprise is that this is responsible for a large percentage of our acute health care costs."
The council was created out of the 2003 Accord on Health Care to act as an independent body for monitoring progress on health care reform.
The report warns of the growing costs from chronic illness, which now consume the largest portion of acute health-care budgets in the country.
"The bottom line is there has been double-digit inflation for health-care costs in most provincial budgets," Bowmer said in an interview.
"But it's not a big jump forward to say that you can have a major reduction in health-care costs if you can improve the lifestyles of individuals right now."
Patients with chronic conditions account for 70 per cent of overnight hospital stays and more than half of all doctor visits, the study found.
Dr. Brian Day, president of the Canadian Medical Association, agrees with the report's findings.
"We've known for a long time that chronic illness is consuming a large percentage of the resources of the health care system," he said. "This just reiterates that. It adds to the concern we have about slow access to health care services in Canada."
The report surveyed 2,500 Canadians living with one or more of seven chronic conditions: arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.
Ninety-eight per cent of respondents reported having access to a doctor. However, wait times for primary health care in Canada were found to be some of the longest among countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
These wait times are unacceptable, Day said.
"Considering what a rich country we are, we should be doing a lot better. If you have any illness and wait too long, you deteriorate," he said.
"It's more costly to delay treatment. It costs the government money and it costs the patient a deterioration in their health."
The survey says improving primary health care is a must to avoid ballooning costs.
"Governments spend millions of dollars to care for people after they become sick instead of investing in proven (prevention) strategies," Dr. Stanley Vollant, councillor with the health council, said in the report.
The council is calling for a more innovative, collaborative approach to chronic disease.
"We know multi-disciplinary teams help with access," Bowmer said, referring to teams of health-care providers that collaborate to adopt best practices and improve care.
This team support and information also enable patients to more fully manage their own chronic health conditions.
The report says three provinces -- B.C., Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador -- are currently using the collaborative approach.
The report also has recommendations for individual Canadians.
"We ourselves have to take more control over our health," Bowmer said. "Because one of the things that we've shown is that if you have one chronic illness, you're susceptible to multiple chronic illness."
The report suggests that simple measures could have significant impacts.
He cites a recent Canadian study that claimed if everyone reduced their salt consumption by one teaspoon a day, it could reduce high blood pressure cases by 30 per cent, saving the health care system at least $430 million.
Another recent study suggests a 25 per cent reduction in diabetes cases in British Columbia over the next 10 years would save the province $100 million.
The health council is working on a follow-up report examining what things impede or help health-care reform.
