Manitoba has become the first province to sign a pharmacare agreement with the federal government.
The province will be getting $219 million over four years for universal coverage for diabetes medication, contraceptives and other medicalĀ supplies.
Coverage for most of theĀ products in the agreement will begin in June, it said. Manitoba already covers the cost of birth control.
The agreement will help close gaps in the health-care system, federal Health Minister Mark Holland said Thursday during the announcement at theĀ Women’s Health ClinicĀ in Winnipeg.
“I want 100 years from now people to look back at this moment and say, ‘This is where it started,’Ā the journey of making sure everybody got the medication that they needed,” he said.
WATCHĀ | Minister defends timeline of Manitoba pharmacare deal:
After announcing Manitoba is the first province to sign a pharmacare agreement with the federal government, Health Minister Mark Holland is asked why the coverage is not starting until the beginning of June.
The federal government passed legislation setting the basis for a universal pharmacare plan in October,Ā committingĀ $1.5 billion for birth control and diabetes medications as it looked to strike deals with provinces and territories on coverage.
Manitoba started covering birth control for those with a prescription inĀ fall.Ā
Menopause drug coverage
Provincial Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said the new funding will allow the province to expand coverage to hormone replacement therapy.
“Women and those who need access to menopause drugs and those medications will now have access, which is a huge game-changer,” they said.
The federal government said it will also provide $48 million as part of its national plan to improve access to diagnosis, screening and medication for rare diseases.
The pharmacare program was part of a supply-and-confidence deal between the Liberals and federal NDP that kept the minority government in power starting in March 2022.
HollandĀ said aiming for implementation in June ā€” which will likely be after a federalĀ election because the agreement with the NDPĀ has collapsedĀ ā€” was necessary to “get things right” so the planĀ doesn’t have flaws opponents can use to criticize it and dismantle it.
When asked, Holland acknowledged he was openingĀ himself up to accusations the government was delaying the implementation of the deal for political gain.
“The reality is there are restraints,” he said. “There are restraints on money, there are restraints on the ability to deliver, and so that’s reflected in how fast we can go. But look, as fast as we can go, we’ll go.”
In a statement, federalĀ NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh congratulated the province for signing the agreement,Ā but called on the Liberal government to move faster to get the rest of the deals inked.
The federal government has the necessary legislationĀ and the funding in hand to sign agreements with the other 12 provinces and territories,Ā the statement said.
“Every day the Liberals drag their feet is another day that Canadians are pulling out their wallets and paying for prescriptions that the law says should be free now,” Singh said in the statement.
Marci Ien, federal minister for women and gender equality, announced at Thursday’s event that the government will also provide $10 million to renovate theĀ Women’s Health ClinicĀ in Winnipeg.
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