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MONTREAL – Quebec has announced that it’s investing $51.9 million in home health care.

Health Minister Gaétan Barrette made the announcement Tuesday, saying the health network needs to adapt to the province’s aging population.

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The goal of the investment is to keep people out of hospitals by providing adequate, essential care at home.

Since April 2014, Quebec has spent nearly $138 million on home health care and the province recently announced it had a $1.8-billion surplus in its last budget.

The money will be divided among Quebec’s health agencies based on their financial status and region.

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About $46.5 million will go to people aged 65 and older and an additional $3.5 million will be put towards home care for disabled individuals.

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Another $1.9 million will be used to help monitor the level of care provided across the province.

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Before forming government, the federal Liberals had campaigned on a promise of investing $3 billion into home care.