Fare well to Nova Scotia? Public health investments remain chronically underfunded
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8900457 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Hilary A T Caldwell (0000-0003-2951-4542, Dalhousie University, corresponding author), Sarah Scruton (Dalhousie University), Katherine Fierlbeck (0000-0002-5558-4344, Dalhousie University), Mohammad Hajizadeh (0000-0002-4591-8531, Dalhousie University), Shivani Davé (Dalhousie University), Meaghan Sims (0000-0003-4477-3833, Nova Scotia Health Authority), Sara Kirk (0000-0003-2146-4448, Dalhousie University) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 112 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 186-190 |
| Publication date | 2021-02-24 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Canadian Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0008-4263 • E-ISSN: 1920-7476 |
| Publisher | Springer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.17269/s41997-021-00478-8 |
| PMID | 33625685 |
| OpenAlex | W3129581284 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 6 |
Inspired by Fiset-Laniel et al.'s (2020) article entitled "Public health investments: neglect or wilful omission? Historical trends in Quebec and implications for Canada", we assessed public health investments since the establishment of the Nova Scotia provincial health authority in 2015. We analyzed Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness budgets from 2015-2016 to 2019-2020 and observed that less than 1% of funding was budgeted for public health annually, an amount well below the recommendation that 5-6% of healthcare funding be spent on public health. Healthcare spending has increased annually since 2015-2016, but proportions of funding to different programs and services have remained static. Specifically, we did not observe a change in investment in public health over time, suggesting that while the government does not necessarily spend too much or too little on healthcare, it spends far too little on public health. This chronic under-funding is problematic given the high rates of non-communicable diseases in Nova Scotia and health inequities experienced within the population. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of public health work, and the need for a pandemic recovery plan that prioritizes investment in all areas of public health in Nova Scotia
Business · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Disease · Economic growth · Economics · Environmental health · Geography · Government (linguistics · Health care · Investment (military · Nova scotia · Pandemic · Political science · Politics · Population · Population health · Public health · Healthcare Policy and Management · Medicine · Nursing · Primary Care and Health Outcomes · Public Health Policies and Education
| Citations per year | 0.6 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2021 - 2024 (4) |
| Highly cited | No |