Access to Health Professionals Expanded
Following through on commitments made in the throne speech, Health Minister George Abbott introduced the Health Professions Regulatory Reform Act. The legislation will expand patient access to and choice of health professionals, while making British Columbia the most attractive and welcoming place in Canada for health professionals to work.
- The act will enable qualified physicians working in other provinces and countries to practise in British Columbia with a restricted licence in their specific areas of qualification.
- Pharmacists will be permitted to authorize routine prescription renewals.
- Nurses will have an enhanced scope of practice.
- Canadian citizens who trained in medical schools or work outside Canada will be welcomed home with opportunities to practise in British Columbia.
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Province Strengthens Public Health System
Through legislation introduced this week, British Columbia will be the first province in Canada to define and enshrine in legislation the principles of the Canada Health Act and add a sixth principle of sustainability to strengthen B.C.’s health system today and secure it for future generations.
- Amendments to the Medicare Protection Act clearly define the Canada Health Act principles of public administration, comprehensiveness, universality, portability and accessibility. This legislation will also add the principle of sustainability.
- The Medical Services Plan will be administered in a manner that is fiscally sustainable and provides for British Columbians’ current health care needs without compromising the public health care system for future generations.
- In addition, the preamble of the Medicare Protection Act will be expanded to include other important values heard from participants in the Conversation on Health including individual choice, personal responsibility, innovation, transparency and accountability.
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B.C. Introduces Health Care Costs Recovery Act
Health Minister George Abbott this week introduced the Health Care Costs Recovery Act, which will provide government with the legal tools necessary to recover millions of dollars annually in health-care costs from third party wrongdoers and their insurers.
- The act will allow government to expand the scope of health-care costs it can recover to include medical care, hospital services, ambulance services, some continuing care services, and potentially PharmaCare and other costs covered by provincially funded programs.
- British Columbia is presently the only province that does not have this type of health-care cost recovery legislation.
- Provisions have been made in the legislation to ensure that in any successful lawsuit or settlement where insufficient funds are available, payment of the affected individual’s claim takes priority over payment to the province.
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New B.C. Legislation to Support Public Health Action
The Province introduced a new Public Health Act to replace outdated legislation and set the groundwork for a modernization of public health. The new act will tackle global infectious disease, provide stronger tools to address the growing burden of chronic diseases and ensure communities fulfill their role as a partner in treating and housing residents with mental health and addiction challenges.
- Updates and changes to the legislation provide public health officials with stronger powers to protect the public against communicable diseases such as pandemic influenza or SARS and to deal with health hazards.
- The Public Health Act will follow through on the Government’s commitment in the throne speech to ban the use of trans fats in the preparation of foods in schools, restaurants and food-service establishments by 2010.
- Legislative powers created through the Public Health Act will support communities in caring for their own residents, in their own communities.
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E-Health Statute Increases Patient Access and Privacy
A new e-Health (Personal Health Information Access and Protection of Privacy) Act introduced this week moves British Columbia a step closer to the goal of giving citizens access to their health records and medical information, while strengthening privacy protection.
- British Columbia is the first province in Canada to create a specific legislative framework governing access and privacy for electronic health information databases.
- British Columbia will be going above and beyond the provisions of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act with new legislation containing specific provisions to address access to information and protection of privacy of electronic health information.
- Individuals will be able to block access to their own information in Health Information Banks from all health professionals, with the only overriding clause being in the case that the person is incapacitated in an emergency or with the person's consent.
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