VANCOUVER -- Government and individual Canadians must improve efforts to prevent a "growing epidemic" of chronic health conditions that make up the largest chunk of health-care budgets, a new report says.
A Health Council of Canada report released Thursday says there are nine million Canadians living with chronic health conditions.
"This figure may be a surprise to people," said vice-chairman Dr. Ian Bowmer. "Probably not a surprise is that this is responsible for a large percentage of our acute health-care costs."
The report warns of the growing costs from chronic illness, which consumes the largest portion of acute health-care budgets in the country.
"The bottom line is there has been double-digit inflation for health-care costs in most provincial budgets," Bowmer said in an interview.
"But it's not a big jump forward to say that you can have a major reduction in health-care costs if you can improve the lifestyles of individuals right now."
Patients with chronic conditions account for 70 per cent of overnight hospital stays and more than half of all doctor visits, the study found.
Dr. Brian Day, president of the Canadian Medical Association, agrees with the report's findings.
"We've known for a long time that chronic illness is consuming a large percentage of the resources of the health-care system," he said. "This just reiterates that."
The report surveyed 2,500 Canadians living with one or more of seven chronic conditions: arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.
Ninety-eight per cent of respondents reported having access to a doctor. However, wait times for primary health care in Canada were found to be some of the longest among nations in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
The survey says improving primary health care is a must to avoid ballooning costs.
"Governments spend millions of dollars to care for people after they become sick instead of investing in proven (prevention) strategies," Dr. Stanley Vollant, councillor with the health council, said in the report.
The report also has recommendations for individual Canadians. "We ourselves have to take more control over our health," Bowmer said. "Because one of the things that we've shown is that if you have one chronic illness, you're susceptible to multiple chronic illness."
-- The Canadian Press
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