Health audit fails some cancer patients, advocates say

An advocacy coalition for cancer patients says a report by Ontario's auditor generalfalls short in its recommendations to correct inequitiesfor patients taking oral cancer drugs that aren't covered by the province's drug benefit program.

CanCertainty is a coalition of 35 Canadian patient groups, cancer health charities, oncologists, cancer care professionals and caregiver organizations that lobbiesfor improved and more affordabletake-home cancer treatments.

Some of the oral drugs can cost $8,000 a month,according to CanCertainty.

The coalition estimates more than 20,000 Ontarians under the age of 65 whoare without private insurance will require take-home cancer drugs to treat their disease this year, and saysmany are paying out of pocket.

Audit points to gaps

In her reportreleased Wednesday, Auditor General Bonnie Lysykhighlightedgaps in drug treatment coverage for cancer patients.

I believe it's absolutely cruel and I believe it's unnecessary.- Robert Bick, CanCertainty

She noted the full cost of cancer drugs is not covered in Ontario unless the treatment is administered ina hospital.

Robert Bick, co-lead of CanCertainty,applaudsthe auditor for "shining a light on the deficiencies" in the system, but said her criticism fell short.

"She's suggestingbare minimum repairs on an already outdated system," Bick said,

If a cancer patient can't afford to pay for oral medicationtaken at home, they can apply for financial help under two separate provincial programs:a special allowance for catastrophic drug costs under the Trillium Drug Program, andthe Exceptional Access Program.

Aid application process complex

Bicksaid the process for applying for those funds is complicated, and patients can wait weeks just to find out whetherthey'll be covered.Lysyk recommended in her report that the approval process besped up.

But Cancertaintywants the province to go further by simply covering all cancer drugs, wherever they're administered intravenously inhospital, or orally at home.

"Treat all cancer patients universally, regardless if they are infused in a hospital or take the drugs in their home," Bicksaid.

Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and British Columbia fully coverthe cost of cancer drugs, whether they'readministered in a hospital or not.

'Silo mentality'

Ontario suffers from a"silo mentality," accordingDr. Sandy Sehdev, a medicaloncologist at the Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre.

He saidthe government funding of cancer drugs hasn't adapted to the fact that treatment is increasingly being given orally, often at home. Those drugs should be funded the same way intravenous drugs are, Sehdev said.

Sehdevsaid one family doctor told him filling out applications for financial aid are "more complex than filling out a tax return."

He said it's unacceptable that a patient battling cancer has to wait six weeks to hear whether they've been approved for aid.

"We've all had patients who have either passedaway or become too sick to have treatment just because of the delay," Sehdev said. "I've seen some patients who, if they hadn't started their oral drugs within days, we would have lost them."

"I believe it's absolutely cruel and I believe it's unnecessary," Bicksaid."I believe [that in] a health-care system that strives to be better,this should be one of the first things we try and repair"