Canadian Forces Health Services

The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, visited the troops in Haiti this weekend, to oversee progress being made following the disastrous earthquake that struck that nation in January. The Minister spoke with Canadian Forces personnel on board HMCS Athabaskan, in medical facilities, temporary accommodation camps and the Canadian Embassy. [Photo: CF Image Gallery]

Message from the Surgeon General

Welcome to the Canadian Forces Health Services (CFHS) website. The mission of the CFHS Group is to provide full spectrum, high quality health services to Canada’s fighting forces wherever we serve.

The CFHS is officially a line of operations under the Prepare Pillar of the CMP model but our actions touch on all of CMP’s pillars and priorities.

Given the exclusion of CF members under the Canada Health Act and the responsibilities of the Defence Minister under the National Defence Act, the CFHS Group constitutes a comprehensive health system to promote, protect, and restore the health of Regular and full-time Reserve CF members. In partnership with allies, civilian partners, the CF chain of command, and individual CF patients, it provides medical, dental, public health, occupational health, educational, regulatory, research, administrative, and advisory functions and services. It also fulfils command and control, operational planning, and other operational support functions by virtue of its mission to provide health service support to shield and sustain military operations.

The CFHS Group consists of 43 units at 77 military installations across Canada, and commands over 6000 military and civilian professionals distributed from the strategic headquarters level down to the lowest deployed tactical manoeuvre unit. These pages provide an overview of this large and complex organization, as well as specific details relevant to CF health care.

Commodore H.W. Jung
Commander CF Health Services Group / Surgeon General