Vancouver, BC – “We’re encouraged by a number of ideas in the Romanow Report and believe the BC Government should look at it in detail,” states Barbara Kaminsky, CEO, Canadian Cancer Society, BC and Yukon Division. The Society believes that the BC Government may have already discounted some of the report.
The Canadian Cancer Society and other organizations are meeting today to plan how BC and Yukon will implement a national plan for cancer, referred to as the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control. The BC Government’s implementation of the Romanow Report’s recommendations and the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control will be vital to the health care system and to the one in three British Columbians that will experience cancer during their life.
Her response, based on a November 26th BC Ministry of Health Planning news release, states concerns about the BC Government’s interpretation of the anticipated report’s recommendations on accountability, prevention, and pharmacare.
Accountability
The BC Government and the Romanow Report state that provinces and territories need more federal money to deliver health care. The Canadian Cancer Society agrees but states that more federal money should not be given to the provinces and territories without them being accountable for how it is used. The Canadian Cancer Society agrees with the Romanow Report that an oversight body, the Health Council of Canada, should be put in place to ensure that funds are used to improve quality, develop better outcomes, and be cost effective.
“We’ve proven through the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control that the concept of nation-wide standards can be agreed upon,” explains Kaminsky. The Society believes that medicare in Canada must be accountable and transparent, not subjected to the whims of politicians.
Primary Prevention
The Romanow Report provides three recommendations that emphasize the need to implement prevention programs as part of an enhanced primary care system. To accomplish this, provinces and territories will need to develop appropriate policies and regulations that support disease prevention.
“We agree with the Romanow Report’s emphasis on tobacco use, physical inactivity, and obesity as major contributors to chronic disease in Canada.” These are population wide risk factors and it will take more than focusing on changing individual behaviours to positively affect our population. We need healthy public policies to support individual behaviours.”
The importance of addressing these key risk factors has been identified both by the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control and by the Canadian Cancer Society. We know that a majority of cancers are due to preventable factors. Supporting risk reducing activity for the Strategy and the Society is a key priority.
In BC and the Yukon, the Society is currently developing a comprehensive prevention program to address the risk factors of tobacco use, physical inactivity, and obesity. In addition to our Mission Possible prevention education program aimed at high school students, we support individuals through health promotion, education and cessation programs. We will also be speaking loudly for proactive public health policies that can reduce the burden of cancer for all British Columbians and people in the Yukon.
“We need stronger provincial tobacco control regulations, not just more advertising,” states Kaminsky, pointing to the BC Government’s November 26th statement it has tackled tobacco use through an awareness campaign. The Canadian Cancer Society points to the fact that the BC government over-ruled the Worker’ Compensation Board’s initial regulations which had taken a strong position to protect hospitality industry workers from second hand smoke, a known cancer causing agent and contributor to other chronic diseases. The Society also calls for the BC Government to ban the sale of tobacco in pharmacies as well as product displays in retail outlets.
The Canadian Cancer Society states that the report discusses plans that could positively impact cancer care in British Columbia. However, it believes that it is too early to comment fully on the Romanow Report. The Canadian Cancer Society will be reading the report with great interest and comment when appropriate.
The Canadian Cancer Society provides leading financial support for cancer research and delivers community-based support programs and prevention information for all types of cancer. In BC and the Yukon, the Society has a presence in over 100 communities, serving over 100,000 people. As an independent body, the Canadian Cancer Society is an advocate for proactive health policies. For more information about cancer and the Canadian Cancer Society, call 1-888-939-3333 or log onto www.bc.cancer.ca.
