It has recently come to my attention that the G.N.W.T. does not offer a palliative care benefits program for Northern residents who have been declared or diagnosed palliative by their physician. Palliative patients are those patients who have reached the end stages of a life-threatening disease or illness and require a variety of medications in order to maintain their comfort, and control pain during the last stages of their illness.
Currently, Northern residents who have been diagnosed as palliative may be covered through the
G.N.W.T.’s Extended Health Benefits Program. This is a good program and provides coverage for Northern residents for a wide variety of conditions, including palliative care patients.
Unfortunately, it is limited when it comes to palliative patients. Many of the medications palliative patients require for management of pain are not automatically benefits under the Extended Benefits program. These required medications can be added as a benefit for patients; however, the application process can be quite long. The net result is that palliative patients will either have to go without comfort management prescriptions until they receive approval from the Extended Health Benefits Program, or pay out of their own pockets until they can be reimbursed once their Extended Health application for the prescribed medication is approved.
This seems unreasonable. Palliative patients should not have to wait for the care that will allow them to live their remaining days in comfort and as they choose. Most southern jurisdictions already have the palliative care benefits programs which are expedited in order to reduce wait times for palliative patients. For example, Albertans are guaranteed a 16–24-hour turn-around time for approval, and they often provide them immediately.
Residents of the N.W.T. who have been diagnosed as palliative deserve more than the wait times they currently face. As a government we need to ensure that no additional barriers are placed on the care and comfort and pain management of these individuals during their last days. We need a palliative care benefits program.
Mr. Speaker, later this afternoon I’ll be asking the Minister Responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services questions concerning palliative care benefits programs for residents of the Northwest Territories.