Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Mr. Menicoche.
The committee agrees with the Auditor General that the department’s capacity to achieve its priority of a sustainable, effective health system depends on the ability to monitor performance and health outcomes. As both are currently deficient, both must be improved. The government must support the department’s efforts to do this, including appropriate funding through the annual budget process. It must be understood that data collection and performance monitoring are crucial to sound
planning, determining spending priorities, and shaping a client-focused health system.
The committee also recognizes that many factors affect the sustainability of the health system, some of which are beyond the department’s control. Demand for health services and the general health of the population are also influenced by education, the availability of employment, housing conditions, addictions, and poverty. The government’s overall priorities and strategy must address these problems at the same time as DHSS modernizes the health system as outlined in “A Foundation for Change.”
Setting Direction for the Health Care System and Funding Health Authorities
The Auditor General found that DHSS has set clear goals, priorities and actions to improve the health system, and set them out clearly in “A Foundation for Change.” Strategic plans of three health authorities were reviewed and found consistent with DHSS’ priorities.
However, there are no performance agreements with the authorities, and the model for funding them is being overhauled to better align resources with patient flow and program delivery. Essentially, this will result in realistic budgets for each authority, reflecting the work that is done and the resources allocated to it. DHSS stresses that “right-sizing” budgets is a prerequisite for performance agreements with the authorities.
This is critically important work, as it is the job of the authorities to actually deliver health care services and programs to the people of the Northwest Territories. Therefore, the committee stresses that DHSS and the government must make it a particular priority to implement the Auditor General’s recommendation in paragraph 31 during the 2012-13 fiscal year, as promised in DHSS’ response.
Recommendation 2
The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services follow through on commitments made in its strategic plan and action plan to:
•
revise the model to allocate funding to
Health and Social Services authorities, and
•
develop performance agreements that
include expected results for key programs and services, and corresponding reporting requirements.
Mr. Speaker, that now brings me to the point to pass the further reading of the report on to my colleague Mr. Yakeleya, MLA for Sahtu. Thank you.