Still waiting for treatment
GNWT says it's not responsible for curative medication
for Hep C patient infected in tainted blood scandal
Sarah Ladik
Northern News Services
Thursday, October 15, 2015
INUVIK
The struggle continues for Rudy Cardinal, a man infected with Hepatitis C in the 1980s by a blood transfusion, but now the territorial health department says it isn't responsible for getting him the drug that would likely cure it.
Rudy Cardinal is still waiting to hear whether the medication that can cure his Hepatitis C is covered. In the meantime, the pill regimen he must maintain to stay on top of other illnesses is demanding. - NNSL file photo
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The Drum reported in September that Cardinal had received a prescription in June for Harvoni, a newly available 95-per-cent curative drug.
After assurances from employees of the local health authority run by the territorial government that the medication would be shortly administered, Cardinal said there has been no developments or communication.
Now, a representative for the Department of Health and Social Services has confirmed that the GNWT is not responsible for deciding whether the medication should be given or not.
"I can confirm that the client is eligible for drugs and services offered under Health Canada First Nation and Inuit non-insured health benefits (NIHB) program," communications manager Damien Healy stated in an e-mail to the Drum. "The Department of Health and Social Services administers NIHB program for NWT First Nations and Inuit but we have no authority to approve exceptions to the NIHB formulary."
Healy said this is an issue between the specialist in Alberta who prescribed the drug, the patient, and Health Canada.
He also said Harvoni has previously been approved under other programs in the NWT such as extended health benefits and the Metis health benefit program, but that coverage is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
When contacted, Health Canada said the decision is made following criteria set by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health's Common Drug Review (CADTH).
"The burden of illness posed by Hepatitis C is an issue of concern for the Government of Canada," said media relations representative Eric Morrissette.
The CADTH did not respond to a request for comment or further clarification by press time.
For his part, Cardinal said he has received no communication from either the territorial or federal departments of health with regards to his case.
"It's been a big blank, I guess," he said. "There have been no updates, nothing, no discussion of the NIHB or anything like that."
When asked who is responsible for contacting patients and informing them of their status and options, Morrissette said clients and health care providers in the NWT can call the NIHB directly.
Cardinal has been living with Hepatitis C since 1983, but it took 13 years for him to be formally diagnosed. He said getting the prescription for Harvoni was something akin to a miracle for him, after having tried other measures in the past involving lengthy courses of treatment and many needles. Harvoni, by contrast, is one pill a day for three months.
"I haven't given up," he said last week, despite months without news from any level of government as to whether he would eventually get the drug or not. "I'm still fighting."
