The Saskatchewan Ministry of Health has allocated $2.5 million to immediately begin work on the Saskatchewan HIV Strategy 2010-2013. Health Minister Don McMorris announced the funding allocation while addressing the annual Canadian Conference on HIV/AIDS research in Saskatoon Thursday evening.
"HIV and AIDS is a very serious issue for our province," McMorris said. "Our government is committed to supporting the strategy to reduce the number of new cases of HIV and improve the quality of life for those who are now diagnosed and living with HIV, but it's vital that we work collaboratively with First Nations and Métis and health and community based partners. This issue needs to be addressed on many levels."
The $2.5 million is direct provincial funding that will be used for frontline care and community outreach. There will be additional costs related to physician services and medications that are dependent upon the numbers of clients. Detailed implementation plans and resources are under discussion with health regions. A multi-year strategy is required and ongoing resources will be sought through the regular budget process.
The comprehensive HIV Strategy will focus on four main areas: surveillance; clinical management; prevention and harm reduction, and community engagement and education.
"The targets for each of these four main areas are being finalized as is the evaluation and the resource commitment from partners," Provincial Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Moira McKinnon said.
The financial impact on provincial health and social services is significant. The current conservative estimate of the direct cost to the health care system in Saskatchewan is approximately $40 million per year.
