Province Will Pay For First Nations’ Flu Medicine
Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at 13:22
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health says the department is helping pick up the costs of the tamiflu vaccine for First Nations residents in the province.
Karen Hill says a letter went out on April 29, telling pharmacists to bill the province for tamiflu prescriptions.
A report this week indicated one woman in southern Saskatchewan had to pay out of her own pocket to get tamiflu medication for her child, who is First Nations.
However, according to Hill, the province will pay the pharmacies for the cost of anti-viral medications, and then later apply to Ottawa for re-imbursement.
Hill says the ministry doesn’t do this with every medication, but in light of the H1N1 pandemic, they aren’t taking any chances.