BMC National Pharmaceuticals Strategy Position Paper

Introduction

The positions taken in this Paper and recommendations made are based on the
issues that patients and consumer groups have identified within the current and
proposed Canadian federal, provincial, and territorial (F/P/T) administrations of
healthcare, drug review, and drug coverage process.

As part of the 10-year plan to strengthen healthcare, Canadian First Ministers
agreed to develop a National Pharmaceuticals Strategy (NPS). They agreed that
no Canadian should suffer undue financial hardship in accessing needed drug
therapies, and that affordable access to drugs is fundamental to equitable health
outcomes for all our citizens. What they have neglected to do, however, as this
Strategy has unfolded, is gather information directly from viable, knowledgeable
sources. It is the BMC view that, unequivocally, Canadian patients, as healthcare
consumers, must be part of the decision process that fundamentally affects every
aspect of their lives, stemming from their health state.

The primary issue for millions of Canadian patients, consumers of healthcare,
and Canadians generally, is that the healthcare system, including the current
national Common Drug Review (CDR) and the proposed National
Pharmaceuticals Strategy (NPS) are focused on cost containment rather than
what it should be. It should be a patient-centered or patient-focused system that
strives to meet the needs of patients – treatment, care, improved quality of life,
and ultimately improved health outcomes. What makes matters worse is that the
NPS discussions are not transparent and inclusive of those who have the facts or
experiences to contribute to the development of a uniquely Canadian National
Pharmaceuticals Strategy.

Click here [0] to read the full National Pharmaceuticals Strategy Position Paper (PDF file).

Click here [0] to read the Executive Summary (PDF file).