Member Statement (18 March 2024)

From Hansard (18 March 2024)

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Bilateral Funding Agreements to Support Health Care Initiatives

Mr. B. McLeod: — Mr. Speaker, today we were pleased to showcase an event announcing that the governments of Saskatchewan and Canada have signed two bilateral funding agreements providing Saskatchewan more than 560 million to invest in health care initiatives.

Through the Working Together agreement, Saskatchewan will receive close to 391 million to support several priority areas, including improved access to family health services and acute and urgent care across the regions by supporting a physician payment model; Saskatoon’s chronic pain clinic; HealthLine 811; and permanent acute care and complex care beds in Regina and Saskatoon hospitals; and to support the health workforce and help to reduce backlogs through recruitment, retention, and training initiatives; expand the delivery of culturally appropriate mental health and substance use support and specialized care through overdose outreach teams; expanding addiction treatment spaces and rapid grief counselling by Family Service Saskatchewan, among other initiatives; and by continuing investment into modernizing health care systems with health data and digital tools.

In addition, through the Aging with Dignity agreement our province will receive approximately 169.3 million to enhance home and community care services, improve palliative care, and strengthen the quality of long-term care and home care services. Our government also commits to meaningful engagement with Indigenous partners to support improved access to quality and culturally appropriate health care services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.