ŗ«¹śĀćĪč

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Montreal Gazette - A life extended, savings depleted

Published: 20 May 2011

In a piece about cancer medications that are not publicly funded and the patient has no recourse to private insurance, Petr Kavan, associate professor of oncology at ŗ«¹śĀćĪč University and an oncologist at the Jewish General Hospital and Royal Victoria Hospital, says heā€™s ā€œfeeling more and more uncomfortableā€ proposing treatment regimens to patients who canā€™t afford them. But heā€™s also ethically bound to inform them of national and internationally recognized medical standards that would be beneficial.

ā€œBut at the same time I know that the patient has no private insurance, the drug is not covered in Quebec, and the hospital will not provide the medication because it has no budget for new drugs.

ā€œSo I donā€™t act in the patientā€™s best interest, because Iā€™m making the situation worse,ā€ said Kavan, who is calling for equal access to effective medication, particularly in Canada which extols universal health care.

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