OTTAWA - Health Minister Tony Clement says he is close to announcing agreements with most provinces for medical wait-time guarantees, thanks to about $1 billion in new health funding in this week's federal budget.
With election speculation rising as the Conservatives edge up in the polls, the agreements will allow Ottawa to claim progress on one of their key promises from the 2006 election.
But the agreements will cover only one area of treatment per province, far short of what was promised in the 2006 election platform.
The idea behind wait-time guarantees is that patients who can't get access to timely care through the public system within their own community will be given some other alternative.
That could mean travelling to another city or province and it could mean getting the care at private clinics. That's the route chosen by Quebec, which introduced Canada's first wait-time guarantees last year.
"Basically Canada is entering the world of wait-time guarantees so it's good news for patients,'' Clement said in an interview Friday.
"We'll be in a position to move ahead with guarantees and you'll be hearing more about it in the days and weeks ahead.''
Clement said he has been in negotiations with the provinces for months, knowing that there would be money in the budget to deal with the issue.
The budget provides $612 million to support patient wait-time guarantees and $400 million for the development of electronic health records, which should also help shorten wait times.
The 2006 Tory election platform committed the government to "ensure that all Canadians receive essential medical treatment within clinically acceptable waiting times,'' suggesting that all essential care would be covered.
The platform identified five priority areas as a starting point: "cancer, heart, diagnostic imaging, joint replacements and sight restoration.''
But Clement conceded that the agreements will be more limited in scope. The priority list is also now open to provincial discretion.
"What we're asking, for the purposes of this agreement, is for a province or territory to choose one guarantee they would declare in place and operational within the next three years.''
Mike McBane of the Canadian Health Coalition was critical of the strategy.
"It's sad that the federal government is reducing health policy to an election gimmick,'' he said. "It's potentially more damaging than helpful.
"Why would we pick one procedure chosen by a politician, and risk draining resources from other areas? That's no way to set health policy.''
The government is funding pilot projects to explore different ways of providing recourse to patients who can't get care within the guaranteed time limits. In the meantime, each province will decide on its own method of recourse.
Quebec has already announced wait-time guarantees for knee and hip replacements and cataract treatments. Patients who can't get the care within the time limits in the public system are allowed to seek attention in private clinics.
"The guarantee is, you'll get recourse, but we'll be working with the provinces to determine how exactly that works,'' said Clement.
