British Columbia: The federal government has announced a $430 million investment in B.C.’s health-care system, focusing on aged care and rare diseases. Federal Health Minister Mark Holland and B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix revealed the funding as part of two bilateral agreements.
The first agreement, the Aging with Dignity Agreement, allocates over $232 million to improve wages and benefits for Personal Support Workers and Health Care Assistants (HCAs) in long-term care and assisted living facilities over the next five years. This investment aims to enhance recruitment and retention of HCAs.
The second part of the funding, $194 million, is dedicated to supporting treatments for rare diseases, including two specific drugs: Poteligeo and Oxlumo. Poteligeo treats certain types of skin cancer, while Oxlumo addresses a kidney-related condition.
This funding aims to improve health care for seniors and make critical medications more accessible for those with rare diseases, reinforcing B.C.’s commitment to a more equitable health-care system.