A difficult issue facing Ontarians is what to do when patients seek out very expensive cancer drugs which have not been approved for funding. Cancer Care Ontario is working with different levels of government to strengthen publicly funded programs for cancer drugs, as well as to assess efficacy, appropriateness and cost-effectiveness of different drugs.
On July 28, 2006, the Provincial Working Group on the Delivery of Oncology Medications for Private Payment in Ontario Hospitals submitted recommendations to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) for the provision of unfunded IV cancer drugs.
If the recommendations are accepted by the Ministry, the government will issue policy direction to the hospitals. In the meantime, the recommendations are available as guidance to hospitals, but are not provincial policy.
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