The federal government will “try” to improve how the Vaccine Injury Support Program delivers services and financial support to ailing and fragile Canadians, Health Minister Marjorie Michel said Monday.
Michel made the brief remarks in New Brunswick, as she publicly answered questions for the first time about the VISP’s performance since a five-month Global News investigation was broadcast and published online earlier this month.
“As you know, for now, it’s a third party delivering the (VISP) services. We heard that some people are complaining about it. We are tracking this closely with the third party with delivering services. And we will try to improve,” Michel said.
Michel was responding to Global News’ questions at a news conference she held in Moncton, N.B. She had travelled there to announce the injection of federal money into French-language health services for francophone communities in the Atlantic province.
The Liberal government in 2020 announced it would create the VISP to provide financial support to anyone who is seriously and permanently injured by a vaccine as it embarked on the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, the largest such effort in Canadian history.
The Public Health Agency of Canada decided to outsource the administration of this program to an Ottawa consulting firm, Oxaro Inc., in 2021.
Last week, four Conservative MPs called for a Commons committee investigation into the how VISP is being administered, and a pivotal non-profit health foundation said the effort needs an urgent overhaul because it was too slow.
Global News’ five-month investigation that prompted the outcry revealed that:
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- Oxaro had received $50.6 million in taxpayer money; $33.7 million has been spent on administrative costs, while injured Canadians received $16.9 million. Updated Health Canada figures released last week show the company has now received $54.1 million and spent $36.3 million on administration costs, with $18.1 million paid to injured Canadians
- PHAC and Oxaro underestimated the number of injury claims VISP would get, initially predicting 40 per year and then up to 400 valid claims annually. More than 3,317 applications have been filed — of those, more than 1,738 people await decisions on their claims
- Some injured applicants say they face a revolving door of unreachable VISP case managers and require online fundraising campaigns to survive
- Some VISP applicants and former staff said Oxaro was unequipped to deliver fully on the program’s mission to deliver “timely and fair” support, and questions emerged about why the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) chose this company over others, while internal documents suggested poor planning from the start
When asked at her Moncton news conference whether the Liberal government will renew Oxaro’s contract once it expires next year, the Health Minister responded:
“Every option is on the table, for now, I will tell you,” Michel said. “That’s my answer to you, I know everything we heard. It’s very, you know, we are tracking it. It’s unacceptable what we heard about this. And we are, every option is now on the table.”
“No, people shouldn’t wait if they really need services or to get compensation, but as I will tell you it’s more complex than this. Sometimes there’s reason why they cannot get access to the benefits,” Michel added.
Global News obtained internal documents that suggested poor planning from the start as both the government and consulting firm underestimated the number of applications the program would get.
In an email to Global News Monday, a VISP spokesman identified only as “William, Case Escalation Manager,” reiterated earlier comments and responses by the consulting company but confirmed Global News reporting.
“Applications to the program grew to more than 10 times the originally anticipated levels,” William said. “The program processes, procedures and staffing were adapted to face this unexpected increase in volume.”
“VISP is a program that adapts to changing circumstances and continuously improves to meet its objectives,” William added.
“OXARO and PHAC have been collaborating closely to evaluate how the program can remain agile to handle the workload on hand while respecting budget requirements,” the company said.
Oxaro has also said that its monthly invoices to the government include documents and details, which in turn PHAC reviews and approves prior to all payments it gets.
–with a file from Anna Mandin, Global News
READ MORE OF OUR COVERAGE
PART 1: Canada set up a $50M vaccine injury program. Those harmed say it’s failing them
PART 2: ‘Nothing was ready’: Inside Canada’s Vaccine Injury Support Program
PART 3: VISP aimed to curb vaccine injury lawsuits. Now, people are suing in 3 provinces
READ OTHER RELATED STORIES:
Tory MPs, health group call for investigation and overhaul of vaccine support program
Federal auditors target vaccine injury program amid surprise Oxaro office visit
‘Breach of trust’: Critics slam Ottawa’s vaccine injury program ‘failure’
Is VISP an independent administrator? Here’s what some documents say
Vaccine injury programs elsewhere also face challenges, criticism
Want to contact us about this investigation? Email: [email protected] or [email protected]. You can also reach Andrew at (416) 550-4684.
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