Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is the Standing Committee on Finance report on the review of the 1993-94 Main Estimates to the Department of Health.
The Department of Health has the second largest allocation at $182 million, only Education is larger. The Auditor General has told us that this department is not fiscally effective, efficient and economical. Obviously, Mr. Chairman, we are greatly concerned.
Frankly, the Department of Health is not managing, they are only reacting. The departmental responses to the committee's recommendations were unsatisfactory. If you cannot measure the key indicators in your program, you cannot manage them effectively.
This government spends $182 million per year on reacting to our communities' poor health. We agree that a person is his or her own "health control board." However, someone must provide leadership to improve the overall health situation. The Department of Health is where the resources are. The Department of Health must significantly improve the support, direction and leadership provided to ensure community development in matters of health.
The department must ensure that it is serving the regional health board well by providing suitable support, direction and training programs; by keeping systems simple, and by developing an early warning system aimed at preventing serious problems.
Major improvement is an urgent matter, the risks are too high otherwise. Unhealthy life-styles and practices must be addressed. Change must occur at an accelerated pace. We must turn around the trend of rising health costs, in human and in financial terms.
Mr. Chairman, the committee has three recommendations they would like to pursue.