The new Pharmacare Act passed in the Canadian Senate on October 10, 2024. The first categories to receive coverage will be diabetes medication and equipment, and contraception. The Canadian Cancer Society and the Heart & Stroke Foundation estimate that universal coverage of essential drugs would save the health-care system an average of $1,488 per patient per year by preventing unexpected trips to the hospital. GETTY

Coalition advocates for improved access to health care

When privatization is allowed to creep in, or public health care isn’t invested in, it erodes people's confidence in the health-care system, says Krystal Lewis, provincial director of the Saskatchewan Health Coalition.

by · Saskatoon StarPhoenix

Creeping privatization in health care is among a range of issues that concern the Saskatchewan Health Coalition (SHC). The organization is part of a national network of coalitions dedicated to defending and improving health care for everyone. 

As the birthplace of Medicare, Saskatchewan has been a leader in public health care. But the coalition’s provincial director Krystal Lewis says, “I think diplomatically, we are struggling to hold true to that reputation. In Saskatchewan, we’ve seen quite an erosion in investments in public health care. We’ve seen more privatization efforts creeping in and it’s been really disheartening to see that through different governments.”