Program directory · Department of Indigenous Services
Primary Health Care
- Department
- Department of Indigenous Services
- Program code
- BYP03 (INDSC)
- Core responsibility
- Indigenous Well-Being and Self-Determination
- In Departmental Plans
- 2023-24 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan
What it does
The Primary Health Care Authority provides primary care services to First Nations and Inuit individuals, families, and communities. The Clinical and Client Care (CCC) services component provides access to 24/7 healthcare services, including essential medications for urgent and emergent care in remote and isolated First Nations communities. This is crucial to improving the health status of First Nations in communities where primary care services would otherwise be hours away.
The Community Oral Health Services focuses on all populations living within First Nations and Inuit communities and supports culturally appropriate community-based programs, services, initiatives, and strategies related to oral health. The range of services includes prevention and health promotion, outreach and home visiting, treatment and referrals. Community Oral Health Services also collaborates with other professionals within the communities, such as nurses, school teachers, and directors to promote the importance of healthy practices to approach oral health as integral to holistic health.
To support the provision of primary health care service delivery, eHealth Infostructure provides funding, advice, and expertise to First Nations and Inuit communities and organizations for the delivery of eHealth services and Virtual Care technologies. These primary care services help facilitate continuity of care through the integration of health service delivery and health information systems.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2023-24. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Health Care | This program | 2023-24 – 2028-29 | $1.08B |
No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | Indicators added: Number of sites with active Community Oral Health Services | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2024-25 | Indicators dropped: Number of First Nations and Inuit communities with access to oral health services | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025-26 | Planned spending $392M, against $548M in 2024-25 (−28%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | ≤ 45% | 2024 | 46.5% This result remains higher than the target due to the increased demands on contracted resources in response to continued challenges with staffing exacerbated by COVID-19. It is important to note however, that the percentage has dropped from 2022-23. | Not met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≤ 45% | 2027 | — | Planned |
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 383 | 2029 | — | Planned |
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | $412M | $535M |
| 2024-25 | $415M | $548M |
| 2025-26 | $392M | — |
| 2026-27 | $366M | — |
| 2027-28 | $360M* | — |
| 2028-29 | $337M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 858 | 940 |
| 2024-25 | 929 | 1,013 |
| 2025-26 | 892 | — |
| 2026-27 | 918 | — |
| 2027-28 | 855* | — |
| 2028-29 | 855* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 plan | $411,551,974 | $411,220,515 | $428,314,627 | |||
| 2024-25 plan | $414,924,052 | $397,195,094 | $345,074,636 | |||
| 2025-26 plan | $392,390,900 | $337,114,552 | $336,375,844 | |||
| 2026-27 plan | $365,627,342 | $360,332,833 | $336,875,936 | |||
| Actual | $535,120,465 | $547,740,730 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
