Cancer patients living in certain parts of Canada do not have access to drugs which contribute towards saving lives, according to the country’s Cancer Advocacy Coalition of Canada (CACC). The reason for this is said to be that some of the provinces are unwilling to pay for the costs of the drugs, particularly Alberta and Ontario.
For instance, cancer drug Velcade is not available to patients in Ontario, as the entire treatment with the drug costs as much as $60 thousand. What makes it worse is that even if a patient were to buy it privately, a public hospital cannot be used to administer it to the patient. Provinces like Quebec, New Brunswick and British Columbia are reported to have the best where cancer care is concerned.Universal health care is also considered an issue by the Cancer Report Card, as different statistics are being reported by different provinces where cancer screening is concerned. Equality where medical treatment is concerned is being demanded for all Canadians.
