Many Canadians are forced to make difficult decisions about paying for their prescription drugs according to the federal health minister.
Ginette Petitpas-Taylor has received the interim report on setting up a national pharmacare program.
As a former social worker, she learned first hand about the struggles many faces when she accompanied her clients to the hospital.
“Often times I could hear my clients respond to me when the doctor would provide them with a prescription. Sometimes they wouldn’t even look at the prescription but they would look at me and wonder what they should do with it because they certainly didn’t have the means to pay for it.”
The advisory council on pharmacare is recommending the creation of a national drug agency, establishing a comprehensive list of prescribed drugs and setting up an information technology drug system.
Chair Dr. Eric Hoskins says the council has gathered input from across the country.
He says the consensus was that the current system is inadequate, unsustainable and leaves too many Canadians behind.
A final report on a pharmacare program is expected to be released this spring.
