District Health Authorities' Business Plans Approved

District Health Authorities' Business Plans Approved

The priorities for health-care services in Nova Scotia have been confirmed with the approval of eight district health authority (DHA) business plans by the provincial government. In total, funding to all DHAs and the IWK Health Centre has increased by $78.5 million this fiscal year over the previous year.

"The introduction of multi-year funding has helped support improved financial planning for the districts and that, ultimately, is very good news for everyone who makes use of the health-care system," said Health Minister Angus MacIsaac.

"As our population ages, as new technologies and drugs become available and the expectations of patients increase, the demands on the whole health-care system are growing dramatically. That's why this planning process is so important," added Mr. MacIsaac.

"Stable funding and rigorous planning are enabling the districts to respond to local priorities -- to invest in areas that have the greatest impact on patient care. The new Women's and Children's Health Centre in the South Shore District Health Authority and expansion of rehabilitation service at the IWK are good examples of planning at work."

Business plans have been approved for the IWK Health Centre, South Shore District Health Authority, South West Nova District Health Authority, Annapolis Valley District Health Authority, Cumberland Health Authority, Pictou County Health Authority, Guysborough Antigonish Strait Health Authority and the Cape Breton District Health Authority. Discussions are still underway with Colchester East Hants Health Authority and Capital Health to finalize their business plans.

Over the last fiscal year, a number of changes have been made to the base funding to recognize the growing cost pressures on the DHAs. An additional $28 million was added to the base for the DHAs' budget -- $9 million to cover benefits increases and $19 million for costs associated with overtime and oncology. DHAs also received an increase of seven per cent for non-salary budgets -- the second year of a multi-year funding commitment.

The budget for 2004-05 also includes annualized funding for new programs announced in the past year, including $5 million for the cardiac catheterization lab at the QEII Health Sciences Centre, $719,000 for operating costs for the new MRI in Cape Breton District Health Authority and $4.4 million in additional funding for expansion of orthopedics.

These initiatives are part of the government's priorities for health care outlined in Your Health Matters, its health strategy released in 2003. These priorities include health promotion, improving access through shorter wait lists, seniors' care and health services in communities.

At $1.1 billion, the budget for the DHAs, accounts for almost half of the Department of Health's 2004-05 budget of $2.3 billion.

In addition to direct funding to DHAs, an additional $125.1 million spent directly from the Department of Health's budget on emergency health services, long-term care and home care, physician services and Pharmacare programs provides health services to Nova Scotians across the province.

"We have an integrated health-care system where all the components -- district health authorities, provincial programs and Department of Health -- contribute to improving the health care of Nova Scotians," said Mr. MacIsaac.

Mr. MacIsaac credited the development of the business planning process over the last four years with contributing to the progress in budgeting.

"However, we recognize that, in order to fund more new and expanded programs, we need to secure sustainable funding from the federal government," said Mr. MacIsaac.