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Jones encourages government to cover Multiple Sclerosis drugs in upcoming budget February 14, 2007 Yvonne Jones, Opposition Health and Community Services Critic and MHA for the District of Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair, is encouraging government to fund Multiple Sclerosis (MS) drugs in the upcoming provincial budget. "While I have lobbied government over the past several months to address the needs of patients requiring access to catastrophic drugs, government has yet to act," says Ms. Jones. "In last year's budget, I was very disappointed that government did little to provide financial support to deal with the costs facing MS patients, and others requiring various types of medications to deal with serious medical conditions. "Individuals suffering from MS have stood on the steps of Confederation Building looking for help from government, but their calls have been ignored by the Williams Administration. Once again today, these patients will attempt to demonstrate the hardships that their drug costs are having on their lives. People in this province should not have to sacrifice everything they own and worked for throughout their lives to pay for their medication. "While this government argues that they have invested into drug coverage, it has only benefitted low income individuals and those on social assistance and with drug cards. There are 1,030 people in the province diagnosed with MS, only 400 of them actually receive the therapies that are prescribed. The rest cannot afford the cost. There are 600 people in our province who cannot afford these drugs which cost anywhere from $17,000 to $28,000 annually. "The provincial budget will be announced next month and I encourage government to invest additional funds into catastrophic drug coverage. Our current system is not fair to patients suffering from diseases such as MS. Would it be fair for any citizen to wake up tomorrow with this disease and lose everything in an effort to manage their illness and stay alive? I would suggest that most people would support this initiative, and I encourage government to do likewise."
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