A trio of Toronto health-care experts is touting a unique solution for patients who can’t afford their high-priced medication: doctors should simply admit them to hospital, where drugs have to be dispensed for free. But the authors argue that doctors have a duty to help however they can the millions of Canadians who can’t afford necessary medications — and often don’t take them as a result. “We see the issue every day in the clinic, where people come in and they can’t afford to take medication. In the meantime, their idea is to “admit” patients, then put them on a “leave of absence” from the hospital in between prescriptions. Hospitals would probably have to co-operate in the scheme, as their pharmacies now dispense drugs only to health-care workers in the facilities, not directly to patients, Persaud said.

Source: National Post May 15, 2017 16:18 UTC