Healthcare in Newfoundland & Labrador - Forum on Health Outcomes and Healthcare Costs: What Can We Afford?

Healthcare accounts for the largest government program in terms of expenditure in the Province. Provincial government per capita spending on healthcare has increased by nearly 50% since 2007 and NL spends more per capita than any other province in Canada. Many are asking, can we afford to continue in this manner? Under the current economic and fiscal circumstances of the Province, continual growth in healthcare spending is impossible but demographic trends put considerable demands on the system. So, what can we afford?

This forum, sponsored and funded by CARE (Collaborative Applied Research in Economics) and the Memorial University Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Scholarship in the Arts (SITA), will bring together speakers from key organizations that are directly involved in healthcare - its management and governance, staffing, funding and structure. The aim of the event is to consider the key challenges facing our healthcare system and what it all means for the health of people in the province.

Confirmed speakers:

Minister John Haggie, Department of Health and Community Services
Dr. Pat Parfrey, Choosing Wisely Newfoundland and Labrador
Dr. Linda Inkpen, College of Physicians and Surgeons
Dr. Lynn Dwyer, President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association
Debbie Forward, President of the Registered Nurses' Union Newfoundland & Labrador
Steve Gillingham, President of the Pharmacists' Association of Newfoundland & Labrador
Dr. Margaret Steele, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine
Sister Elizabeth Davis, Board of Directors, The Gathering Place
Mark Gruchy, Community Coalition for Mental Health

Each speaker will present their ideas on, not only the challenges facing the healthcare system but, also potential solutions and the roles all parties (government, practitioners, interest groups, families and individuals) play in improving health outcomes in an affordable manner.

The full program for the event and updates can be viewed here.