OHA Welcomes Recommendations of Provincial Oncology Working Group
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Friday, July 28, 2006
OHA Welcomes Recommendations of Provincial Oncology Working Group
Toronto – The Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) welcomes the recommendations of the Provincial Working Group on the Delivery of Oncology Medications for Private Payment in Ontario Hospitals, said OHA President and CEO Hilary Short.
“Patients want and need to be able to receive approved cancer drugs that are not currently funded through Ontario’s public health care system in a safe and familiar environment, closer to home, and under the care of their own oncology team,” said Short. “The OHA believes that a consistent approach to these drugs is necessary to ensure the highest quality standards of care are available in every region of the province.”
The working group, made up of representatives from the hospital, oncology and pharmacy sectors, and patient advocacy groups, was created to consider a principled approach to providing unfunded cancer drugs in Ontario hospitals. The group’s report recommends that Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) adopt a standard approach to providing new unfunded intravenous (IV) cancer drugs in Ontario hospitals for private payment.
“Currently, the only options for most patients who seek these drugs are to go to a private clinic in Toronto or to go to the United States,” said Short. “This creates hardship for patients and raises concerns about continuity of care.”
If the working group’s recommendations are accepted by the MOHLTC, cancer patients would be able to receive unfunded IV cancer drugs in the safety of an Ontario hospital under the care of their own oncologists and care teams. It is important to note that these are recommendations, and not provincial policy.
“We believe that these recommendations recognize the needs of patients and their families and, if adopted, would provide the guidance and uniform standards that Ontario’s hospitals need on this important issue,” said Short. “The OHA will continue working with our member hospitals, and with our partners at Cancer Care Ontario and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, to ensure that Ontario patients have access to the best cancer services in the world.”
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