Speaker Abstract

Federal Role in Health: Canadian Diabetes Prevention and Control Strategy

Wm. Phillip Mickelson, Senior Medical Advisor, NCD Prevention and Control Section, Adult Health Division, Health Canada, Ontario, Canada K1A 1B4.

International statements on diabetes such as the St. Vincent Declaration, and the Declaration of the Americas have urged governments to develop national diabetes strategies. In its 1999 Budget, the Government of Canada announced the Canadian Diabetes Prevention and Control Strategy (CDPCS) which will provide $55 million in new funding over 3 years. Under the strategy there will be the Canadian Diabetes Prevention and Control Initiative (CDPCI), the Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative (ADI), and the National Diabetes Surveillance System (NDSS). ADI will focus on the unique needs of First Nations, Inuit, and other aboriginal communities, many of which have exceedingly high prevalence rates of diabetes. The CDPCI will target the entire Canadian population, and NDSS will monitor trends, aid evidence-based decision-making and provide comprehensive national data. The presentation will review the federal government's involvement in diabetes on a national basis, and discuss some of the anticipated thrusts of the CDPCS.