Rally in Charlottetown calls for universal pharmacare and an end to health care privatization
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CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Just a few dozen folks gathered in Charlottetown to ship two messages to Canadian well being ministers: the pressing want for a public common pharmacare program and a name to cease the privatization of the health-care system.
The rally came about on Oct. 12 outdoors the Rodd Charlottetown, the place federal, provincial and territorial well being ministers had conferences on Oct. 11 and 12.
Mary Boyd, who’s chair of the P.E.I. Well being Coalition, was among the many audio system. She spoke in regards to the significance of a common pharmacare program – a trigger she’s supported for over twenty years.
Boyd mentioned she’s pissed off on the delay in implementing a program that might profit all Canadians.
“I don’t perceive it. I don’t suppose anyone understands it,” Boyd advised SaltWire in an interview after the rally. “So it truly is a judgment on our legislators that they have not moved sooner than this.”
Common pharmacare
Each developed nation on this planet that has a common health-care system additionally has common drug protection, besides Canada.
In 2018, the federal Liberals appointed Dr. Eric Hoskins, a former Ontario Liberal well being minister, to guide an advisory council to evaluate a nationwide pharmacare plan.
The council’s report, which got here out the next 12 months, really helpful making a common, single-payer public pharmacare system.
On this system, sufferers could be charged $2 for widespread medicine and $5 for much less widespread ones, to a most of $100 per 12 months.
Low-income Canadians and people receiving social help could be exempt from these charges.
Guarantees
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and NDP chief Jagmeet Singh signed a political settlement final 12 months committing to the passage of a invoice establishing a common nationwide pharmacare program by the tip of this 12 months.
Boyd urged the federal authorities to meet its pharmacare guarantees by the tip of 2023, following the mannequin proposed by Dr. Hoskins.
“I hope each provincial well being minister and each territorial minister will inform the federal minister that we would like a public common pharmacare system, that it will make medicines accessible to all Canadians, as a result of it is not simply giving it to some individuals who do not have it. Common all the time works higher,” Boyd mentioned.
Tracy Glynn, from the Canadian Well being Coalition, echoed this sentiment, advocating for a common, single-payer pharmacare system quite than a restricted pharmacare plan typically endorsed by {industry} teams. She known as the industry-supported strategy because the “fill within the gaps” strategy.
“We do not need that fill-in-the-gaps strategy as a result of we all know that all the time leaves folks out. And it is also extra expensive to have this fragmented system that that is complicated, and that’s extra expensive. We would like common pharmacare.”
Privatization in well being care
Glynn additionally spoke on the rally, voicing issues about additional privatization within the health-care system.
She mentioned in lots of provinces, laws has been handed to allow extra medical procedures to be carried out in personal clinics.
Glynn, who lives in New Brunswick, cited an instance from her province, the place the provincial authorities handed laws final fall permitting cataract surgical procedures in personal clinics.
She expressed issues that the New Brunswick authorities may think about extending this strategy to different surgical procedures.
“We’re advised that such measures are essential to take folks off the ready listing, however we all know that privatization simply makes the ready interval longer for all of us, because it takes our public health-care staff out of the general public system,” she mentioned.
“It additionally violates the precept of universality and permits for queue leaping, and the propping up of a system that solely serves the wealthiest and the healthiest class.”
Thinh Nguyen is a reporter with SaltWire in Prince Edward Island. He may be reached by e mail at [email protected] and adopted on Twitter @thinhnguyen4291.
