title: Canada's public health system: is the pace of progress sufficient?
abstract: Tilson and Berkowitz review the Institute of Medicine reports that catalyzed the serious re-examination of the United States public health enterprise. For Canada, a similar catalyst stemmed from the lessons learned during the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak. While strong policy statements of commitment to strengthen the public health system are a necessary first step to stewarding change, they are insufficient without defined accountabilities, operationalized relationships and supporting legislation. Investments in critical enablers of sustainable reform, such as inter-sectoral partnerships, human capacity building and an electronic backbone, are also required. To support the value added by public health functions and services, both from a health benefit and economic perspective, a performance management system is necessary. While the 2004 establishment of the Public Health Agency of Canada was a progressive step, persistent political will and leadership are required to ensure this agency's effectiveness and preparedness before the next crisis hits.
authors.affiliation: President and Chief Executive Officer, St. Michael's Hospital.
authors.forename: Jeffrey C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lozon
authors.forename: L Miin
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Alikhan
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000458:organization & administration; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D007256:Information Systems / Q000458:organization & administration; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D011361:Professional Competence; D011635:Public Health Administration; D015980:Public Health Practice; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*