Saskatchewan and Ottawa announce $560 million in health funding agreement

Saskatchewan and Ottawa announced a deal that will infuse more than $560 million into the province’s health system, which they say will help shorten wait times and create better access.

Almost $391 million is through a bilateral agreement to support Saskatchewan’s three-year action plan to improve health care by creating better access to services, including acute and urgent care, and to reduce backlogs.

It will also expand access to culturally appropriate mental health and substance use support.

More than $169 million under a separate agreement is to go toward Saskatchewan’s five-year plan to enhance home, community and long-term care for seniors.

Just over a year ago, Ottawa announced $196 billion in funding over the next 10 years to improve access to health care, which includes tailored one-on-one agreements targeting specific needs in different jurisdictions over a decade.

Most provinces have already signed on to the accord.

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