Yes. In my presentation, I briefly talked about the work we have done over the past 10 years on drug safety.
This was actually in response to a report by the previous auditor general. According to that report, the population we serve had wide access to drugs that lead to addiction problems. There was also a problem with the duplication of prescriptions. We have implemented several measures over the past number of years to try to contain the problem, which is not limited to the population we serve across the country. The profile is very different from one province or territory to another. The fact that our program is national and we have clients in every part of the country allows us to see how things are progressing. It is strongly related to the way doctors write prescriptions.
However, I would say generally that the last decade has created an environment in which people are exposed to drugs that can lead to addiction problems. We have implemented control measures. The non-insured health benefits program was one of the first programs to remove certain drugs from the list and to establish dosage limits. In an attempt to contain the problem, we contact the physicians who have prescribed the medication and inform them of any concerns about the dosage. This is not really a matter of cost management, but rather a matter of patient safety.