Released on December 9, 2003
Health Minister John Nilson welcomes the establishment of the newly formed National Health Council, and is encouraged by the strong presence Saskatchewan will have on the council."This council has been a long time in the making. From the very beginning, Saskatchewan encouraged the creation of the Council. Today, we are very pleased that it has been established," Health Minister John Nilson said. "It is encouraging to see such a strong group of public and private individuals who are committed to making our health care system more open and accountable, and ultimately better for all Canadians."
Three of the members in the new organization will be from Saskatchewan:
• Educator Verda Petry from Regina;
• Health consultant Steven Lewis from Saskatoon; and
• Glenda Yeates, Saskatchewan Health's Deputy Minister
Verda Petry is a long-time educator in the province and former Chancellor of the University of Regina. She is currently a member of the Research Ethics Board of the University of Regina and a continuing member of the University of Regina Senate. She serves as President of the Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism, an umbrella group for seniors' organizations in the province, and is on the Board of the University of Regina Seniors Education Centre. She is also on the board of the Lutheran Care Society.
Steven Lewis is involved in health care in Saskatchewan and across the country. He currently sits on boards of the Canadian Institute for Health Research, the Saskatchewan Health Quality Council, and is the prairie regional officer of the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation. He is also president of Access Consulting Ltd., and an adjunct professor of health policy at the University of Calgary.
They are Saskatchewan's nominees who have been chosen to sit on the council as expert/public representatives. Glenda Yeates, Saskatchewan Health's Deputy Minister will be the province's government delegate on the council.
There are 26 councillors on the National Health Council, half of whom are expert/public representatives, and the other half represents governments. The mandate of the health council will be to monitor and make public annual reports on the implementation of the 2003 First Ministers' Health Accord on health care renewal. They will report on areas of primary health care, home care, catastrophic drug coverage, patient safety, health human resources, and performance issues. There has been strong support for the council by health care organizations across the country.
-30-
For More Information, Contact:
| Mark Rathwell Health Regina Phone: (306)787-4083 Email: mrathwell@health.gov.sk.ca Cell: (306)537-3593 |