The minister of health is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing health-focused government agencies including Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, as well as enforcing the Canada Health Act, the law governing Canada's universal health care system. This includes your support for programs that provide greater access to a safer, pharmaceutical-grade alternative to the toxic street supply. "I will say it to Canadians: I will join you in this. This letter has been sent to Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Health and regulatory colleges to encourage action at all levels to better provide people who use drugs with a full spectrum of options for receiving care from practitioners. In some provinces you must wait, sometimes up to three months, before you can get government health insurance. CTVNews.ca Writer, Minister of Health Patty Hajdu responds to a question during a news conference Monday October 5, 2020 in Ottawa. COVID-19, flu, cold or seasonal allergies? The first Department of Health was established in 1919, and unlike most other departments, had no designated minister. The risks this poses to people who use drugs are further exacerbated by the current strain on support services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Minister of Health. TORONTO -- It is vital that we recognize substance use disorder is a health and social issue, and that we treat people who use drugs with compassion and give them the support that they need. Health Canada has also assembled a toolkit to provide clarity on prescribing for the treatment of substance use disorder and/or to provide a safer supply. [17] Along with Health Canada, the portfolio consists of: the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. Ministerial mandate letter; The Honourable Patty Hajdu was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Thunder Bay—Superior North in 2015. Jane Philpott was the first medical doctor to hold the post.[16]. In Ontario, there was a 25 percent increase in overdose deaths from March to May 2020 compared with the same period last year. To put this in perspective, this is the same amount of people who have died in British Columbia from COVID-19 over the past six months. and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Please accept my best wishes. For patients who do not respond well to these traditional opioid agonist therapies, prescription injectable hydromorphone and diacetylmorphine (pharmaceutical-grade heroin) have been successful in helping to stabilize and support the health of some patients with opioid use disorder in a clinical context. a safer supply), both in the context of treatment or as a harm reduction measure, can support people who use drugs by reducing their risk of overdose, infection and withdrawal. "As everyone knows, it's been a challenging week, and virtual dinners -- although less appealing -- rather than an in-person gathering can make a difference in reducing the spread of COVID," Hajdu said. The current minister is Patty Hajdu. [13] In 1944, the position was again split into two roles, with the war veteran portfolio going to the minister of veterans affairs,[14] and the rest of the portfolio moving to the minister of national health and welfare. This includes increasing access to safer, pharmaceutical-grade alternatives to the contaminated illegal drug supply for people at risk of overdose. Health minister says Canadians 'can make a difference' by celebrating Thanksgiving virtually Manitoba's COVID-19 death count climbs, 56 new cases announced 210,000 in … At the start of the pandemic, Health Canada issued a temporary exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to facilitate prescribing with flexible treatment options (e.g. The minister is responsible for the Health Portfolio, which comprises: The Health Portfolio consists of approximately 12,500 full-time equivalent employees and an annual budget of over $3.8 billion.[6]. Health Canada is responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health. We need immediate action from all levels of government and health care practitioners to prevent further deaths from the contaminated illegal drug supply and COVID-19. I am writing to you today to express my deepest concern about the ongoing and increasing harms experienced by Canadians who are suffering from problematic substance use. Director, Food Safety & Consumer Protection Division), Chief Plant Health Officer (Exec. Established best practices for treating problematic opioid use involve a variety of oral medications, including buprenorphine/naloxone, methadone and slow-release oral morphine. Director, Plant Health & Biosecurity Directorate), VP, Innovation, Business & Service Development, Assistant Deputy Minister, International Affairs Branch, Chief Redress Officer, Integrity and Redress Secretariat, President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Assoc. The minister is responsible for the Health Portfolio, which How to tell the difference between symptoms, How do I know if I have COVID-19? [15], The role of minister of national health and welfare was abolished in 1996, and replaced with the current minister of health. VP, Research, Knowledge Translation & Ethics, Assoc. The minister of health is responsible for maintaining and improving the health of Canadians. I am reaching out to you, Ministers of Health, regulators of health professions and organizations representing health care practitioners, to ask you to do all you can to help provide people who use drugs with a full spectrum of options for accessing medication, depending on their individual circumstances, that will help them avoid the increased risks from the toxic drug supply. Consider steps you could take to allow service providers in your jurisdiction to take advantage of the regulatory flexibility that is in place at the federal level and improve access to pharmaceutical-grade alternatives for people who use drugs. Evidence from these programs in Canada, Switzerland, Germany and the United Kingdom has shown significant beneficial health outcomes through improvements in the physical and mental health of patients. Please be assured that I am ready to work collaboratively to advance these issues so that we can achieve the common goal of saving lives and preventing harm. Hajdu added that saying "no" to spending time with friends and family is "act of love" amid the coronavirus pandemic. There are numerous indications that the street supply is growing even more unpredictable and toxic as supply channels are disrupted. The Health Portfolio is an institution of several governmental departments, an annual budget of over CA$3.8 billion, that supports the Minister of Health's responsibility of maintaining and improving the health of Canadians. We are a federal institution that is part of the Health portfolio. How long can the novel coronavirus live on different surfaces? Complete coverage at CTVNews.ca/Coronavirus, Receive the most important updates in your inbox, Follow the race to the White House through a Canadian lens, Brooklyn Neustaeter I know important measures have been put in place to curtail unnecessary opioid over-prescribing, which are commendable and needed. Tragically, in many regions of the country, the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is worsening the overdose crisis, as well as other acute substance use-related harms. ET . In May 2019, the Department approved the use of injectable hydromorphone by qualified health care practitioners as a treatment for adults with severe opioid use disorder. For enquiries, contact us. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld. Providing a pharmaceutical-grade alternative to the toxic street supply (i.e. How do Canada's provinces rank against American states? However, we must balance this objective with the needs of people at a high risk of overdose, by ensuring health professionals feel equipped and supported to prescribe medication for treatment or harm reduction without fear of reprisal. Originally set to expire at the end of September 2020, I am pleased to inform you that Health Canada has extended this exemption to September 30, 2021, given the ongoing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic. These innovative projects will be evaluated to build the safer supply evidence base to support the scaling up of effective models. Some physicians indicate they do not feel supported by their regulatory colleges or sufficiently informed, and medication costs can be a barrier to some. Alberta Health Services has also reported a major increase in the number of calls for opioid-related emergencies in May of this year. There are daily news reports of an increase in overdoses in communities across the country. The Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse (CRISM) has developed guidance on injectable opioid agonist treatment, and the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health has published a Rapid Review of clinical evidence and cost effectiveness of injectable opioids agonist treatment for patients with opioid dependence. The minister of health is responsible for maintaining and improving the health of Canadians. Despite the foregoing efforts, the Department still hears from many stakeholders that barriers remain to accessing pharmaceutical-grade alternatives to the toxic street drug supply, whether it be for treatment or harm reduction purposes. The current minister is Patty Hajdu. 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