Silas: Every province and territory must sign onto this urgently needed expansion of our public health system
October 11, 2024 (Ottawa, ON) – “After nearly 40 years of nurses’ and health care workers’ tireless advocacy, national pharmacare legislation has passed. This historic legislation lays the foundation to ensure everyone has access to the medication they need,” said Linda Silas, President of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU). “Bill C-64 is more than a policy change. If implemented correctly, pharmacare will save countless lives.”
Bill C-64 follows nurses’ and health care workers’ recommendations to create the framework for a national, single-payer, universal and public pharmacare program. Shortfalls in prescription drug coverage result in daily deaths and illness among people with treatable conditions – a grim finding from CFNU’s 2018 study, Body Count.
“Nurses witness tragedies every day because millions of people in Canada can’t afford medications that are essential to their health and well-being,” explains Silas. “While this isn’t the full dose of pharmacare Canadian patients need, coverage for birth control, diabetes medication and diabetic equipment is a critical, life-saving start.”
Canada’s nurses unions urge every province and territory to follow the path British Columbia is blazing and sign onto this urgently needed expansion of our public health system.
“Now we need every province and territory to get on board and ensure everyone in Canada has equal access to prescription medications,” said Silas. “Nurses will continue to be there every step of the way to hold our leaders’ feet to the fire and put Canada on the path for the comprehensive pharmacare program we all need.”
The CFNU has been a staunch advocate for equal access to necessary pharmaceuticals since 1985.
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For more information please contact Adella Khan, CFNU Communications, media@nursesunions.ca, 613-807-2942.
The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) is Canada’s largest nurses’ organization, representing frontline unionized nurses and nursing students in every sector of health care – from home care and LTC to community and acute care – and advocating on key priorities to strengthen public health care across the country.