Citizen panel calls on Ottawa to provide universal pharmacare plan for Canadians
TORONTO — A group of Canadians charged with examining access to prescription drugs across the country is recommending that the federal government adopt a national, publicly funded pharmacare plan in concert with the country’s universal health-care system.
Representatives of the Citizens’ Reference Panel on Pharmacare in Canada will deliver their recommendations Tuesday to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health.
The panel, comprised of 35 people from every province and territory chosen in a randomized “civic lottery,” recommends immediate action to address the current patchwork of public and private drug plans that leaves about 20 per cent of Canadians with little or no coverage for prescription medications.
“The panellists were surprised to learn that many Canadians do not have adequate drug coverage and that Canadians on average spend considerably more for medically necessary drugs than most other countries with comparable health-care systems,” panel chairman Peter MacLeod said in a statement.