|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
 
A HEALTH CARE COVENANT FOR ALL PEOPLE IN CANADA
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. |
||
 |
 |
 |
 | Contents | |
 |
 |
People in Canada understand that how we care for others defines
the nature of who we are as a national community. We also know that
what we owe each other is essential for who we are as a people.
Thus, we have empowered our governments to steward public resources
and develop and administer social policy for the common good of
all; to ensure that,
Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for
the health and well-being of himself and his family, including food,
clothing, housing, and medical care and necessary social services,
and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness,
disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances
beyond his control.
U.N. Universal Declaration on Human Rights, Article 25
As signatory to the World Health Organization Charter, we in Canada have pledged ourselves to a holistic vision of well-being that understands 'health' as [...] a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
As members of a national community, we in Canada understand that
a community actively promotes and nurtures health through compassion,
mutuality, care, trust, respect, security and active attention to
what justice requires of us.
Thus, in fulfillment of our mutual responsibilities, we and our
governments solemnly promise to actively pursue and safeguard a
holistic and integrated vision of health care for all people in
Canada.
|
The Health Care Covenant |
|
 |
|
Through government, we in Canada pledge to:
Universal Access, Comprehensiveness and Portability
provide access to comprehensive health care services for individuals,
families and communities that places the priority on the worth and
dignity of the whole person and their biological, emotional, physical,
environmental, social and spiritual needs wherever they may be in
Canada;
Social Solidarity and Justice
uphold a health care system through which all people in Canada share
the benefits of health and the burdens of illness with particular
compassion for the weak, caring for the vulnerable, solidarity with
our neighbours and a commitment to social justice for all;
Open to All People in Canada
preserve inviolate a health care system that applies to all people
in Canada without discrimination toward race, colour, sex, sexual
orientation, ability, disability, ethnic origin, language, place
of residence, economic status, religion or any other distinction;
Social Health and Well-being
utilize a systemic approach to creating public policies that, intentionally
integrate the social, economic, cultural and environmental determinants
of well-being with health;
Human Right and Public Good
ensure that access to health care is maintained as a human right
and a public good, recognizing that health care interactions have
meaning to people as a place of caring; health care is not a commodity;
Honour the Vocation and Contribution of All Health Care Providers
utilize fully the capabilities of all health care professionals,
including indigenous practitioners covered under the Canada Health
Act, and honour the vocation of all who provide care, whether paid
or unpaid;
Public Stewardship and Accountability
safeguard public administration and limit for-profit delivery of
care through mutually enforceable federal and provincial regulations
upholding standards of public accountability for a system that addresses
the health care needs of individuals, families and communities;
Collaboration and Shared Responsibility
develop and sustain a health care system founded upon the principles
of collaboration and shared responsibility between governments and
among providers, not competition or market imperatives; and
Participation and Decision-making
recognize that health is unique to individuals, families and communities
and as such, to honour the right of people to participate in the
decisions that affect them and their health.
Top
of page
|
|