What is Canada’s Health Portfolio and its role in healthcare?

Highlights

• Health Canada is collaborating with provinces and territories for health system improvements
• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is protecting human health from animal diseases such as avian influenza
• The Public Health Agency of Canad­­a is educating the public about chronic and emerging infectious diseases.

To improve and maintain Canadians’ health, the Health Minister of Canada focuses on the Health Portfolio which is strengthening the universal health care system in Canada, manages risks related to health, and enables safe and effective health products. In this article, we will talk about the Health Portfolio and its role in Canada.

The health portfolio in Canada includes Health Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Public Health Agency of Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and Patented Medicine Prices Review Board.

Health Canada (HC)

It is a federal institution that helps Canadian in improving and maintaining their health by authorizing various health products, including consumer products, medical devices, drugs, and more. It provides awareness campaigns and education which helps Canadians in making safe and healthy choices.

Roles of HC

• It is supporting Canada's public health care system and is collaborating with provinces and territories for health system improvements.
• For improvement and promoting health system priorities, HC is partnering and funding eight Pan-Canadian Health Organizations. The priorities areas include patient safety, cancer, health care delivery, mental health, and more.
• To support minority official language communities and health system innovation, HC manages federal grants and contribution programs.

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Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

It is a premier federal agency that consists of 13 institutes. It is supporting discoveries and innovation for improving the health care system of Canada. To achieve this, CIHR is collaborating with national and international partners. It uses its research power to improve Canadian health and make an effective health care system.

Roles of CIHR

• To improve Canadians' health or health services and strengthen and improve the health care system, CIHR is building research capacity, supporting new knowledge creation, and encouraging the dissemination of research results.
• To support the research enterprise of Canada, CIHR is working closely with other federal funders, departments, and agencies.
• CIHR is building a 2020-2025 strategic plan.

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Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)

It helps in meeting the commitment of the Government of Canada to protecting the health and ensuring safety to Canadians. PHAC activities concentrate on preventing various diseases, including cancer and heart disease, chronic diseases, infectious disease outbreaks, and more.

Roles of PHAC

• PHAC is promoting Canadians’ wellbeing by preventing injuries and chronic diseases.
• It is also playing a role in reducing, controlling, and preventing the spread of infectious diseases.
• PHAC is educating the public about chronic and emerging infectious diseases.

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Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

It focuses on reducing risks related to food safety and collaborating and partnering with federal, provincial, and municipal organizations, and more to protect Canadians from food and zoonotic diseases.

Roles of CFIA

• It focuses on managing and preventing food safety risks and contributing to consumer protection.
• It protects plant resources, from invasive species, pests, and disease.
• CFIA is protecting human health from animal diseases such as avian influenza and preventing animals in Canada such as aquatic animals, from diseases.

Also read: What is the modernized Fisheries Act in Canada?

Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB)

It is a quasi-judicial body that was formed in 1987 and ensures the patented medicines’ prices are not excessive in Canada. That’s how it is protecting consumers and contributing to the health care of Canada. So, PMPRB protects Canadians from excessive medicine prices. PMPRB also provides information to Canadians by reporting on pharmaceutical trends.

Roles of PMPRB

• The Patent Act incorporated PMPRB and authorized the Minister of Health to recommend new or amended regulations to the Governor in Council.
• PMPRB needs to submit an annual report to parliament which is presented by the Minister of Health under the Patent Act.
• A patentee can reduce its price or can pay back excess revenues if PMPRB staff find that the price of a certain medicine is excessive.

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Bottom line

Each organization included in the health portfolio has its role and function to perform in the health areas. For example, Health Canada conducts surveillance and research for human milk fortifiers, novel foods, and more; PHAC monitors food-borne illness outbreaks; CFIA conducts federal food inspection regimes.

So, all the organizations included mentioned in the health portfolio play a major role in protecting Canadian health and providing them access to safe and healthy food choices.