Kenneth Brown
of The Crossroads
A record health budget has been announced as part of the 2018-19 provincial budget. Health spending accounts for roughly 37 per cent of the total budget.
Finance Minster Donna Harpauer announced the province’s 2018-19 budget in Regina on April 10. A record health budget of $5.36 billion was announced as part of an overall $14.6 billion budget. The health spending represents an increase of 2.9 per cent over $5.21 billion in 2017-18.
According to the ministry, targeted health care funding will provide people with improved access to mental health, palliative care and community-based primary health care services. It also provides universal coverage for HIV medications.
The government is also introducing new programs to provide funding for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and to screen newborn babies for hearing loss. The budget also includes a large commitment to both the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital and Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford to support the projects.
Federal funding of $19 million will help to support the province’s Connected Care strategy. The investment adds to previous provincial spending on team-based community health services and primary health care for patients believed to be best served in a home or community setting. The budget includes joint federal and provincial funds of $11.4 million to help improve community-based mental health services.
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Other health spending includes $170.4 million for the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, $49.4 million for increased use of physician services, $250,000 to fulfil the province’s commitment to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, and $78,000 expansion of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Support Network in the Regina area.
The province is making its transition to a single health authority from 12 regional health authorities. The 2018-19 health budget includes approximately $3.5 billion in funding for the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA).
The $3.5 billion budget for the SHA represents an increase of $71.9 million from the investment made last year to regional health authorities, as stated by the ministry of health. The total includes $25 million for general operations and service pressures.
As for capital spending, the health budget includes $99.2 million in capital funding, an increase of $15.1 million from the previous budget. The breakdown is $44.6 million for capital maintenance, $26.6 million for the children’s hospital, $20.8 million for capital equipment and $7.2 million for electrical upgrades at provincial hospitals.
Scott Livingstone, CEO for the SHA, responded to questions in a conference call after the budget was announced on Tuesday. When asked about his initial reaction, he said SHA officials are pleased with the health budget.
“The numbers are moving in the right direction,” he said, recognizing the SHA received an increase of $31.5 million to its base funding and the money will be used to address financial pressures and new operating costs for new hospitals.
He said he likes the investment in mental health services because it includes both aspects of prevention and treatment. He recognized that he hopes to see continued investments in the upstream aspect of care to treat people in their homes instead of in facilities across the province.
According to the CEO, one of the biggest challenges the SHA has faced in its first four months has been consolidating the 12 separate budgets from regional authorities to make a single budget and operational plan. He said the authority has the advantage of looking at pressures in a more wholistic, provincial way instead of a more divisive, regional way. The budget is going to help with the authority’s transition.
“This is a budget where we were looking for government to recognize the challenge of transformation and give us some breathing space,” Livingstone said, adding that new investments and targeted funding for pressures will help going forward. “This budget is reflective of that.”
He noted that the task now for SHA officials is to develop a plan to use the money as efficiently and effectively as possible. The SHA will prepare its budget by the end of May and it will be sent to the ministry for final approval at that time, he said.
Livingstone said the $99.2 million in capital funding does not cover all of the capital needs at health facilities across Saskatchewan, so the improvements would be prioritized by the authority based on the greatest needs. The SHA has the advantage of looking at the needs provincially as opposed to regionally, he said.
The CEO said he believes achieving savings will also be made easier by being able to look at operations and expenditures provincially as opposed to regionally. The authority will work with eHealth Saskatchewan to find savings from attendance management, he added.
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