Our system of drug coverage in Canada can be very confusing. We live in a country that values its universal public health system, but few realize that this system does not cover pharmaceutical drug products. Many patients are shocked, upon entering the cancer care system, to find out that some drugs are “covered”, while some are not. So, what makes the difference?

This section is intended to outline our system of drug access in Canada. It is a basic overview to help answer the questions that oncology drug access navigators hear most often in practice. It should also provide some background on why the role of oncology drug access navigators is so important to the cancer care process.

In addition to this section, we have also provided some helpful Links to keep you informed and up to date on this evolving issue.