Hello. Good afternoon, and thank you for having me today.
My name is Rudy Malak. I'm a pharmacist and one of the owners of three pharmacies on Manitoulin Island. I'm joining you today virtually from Manitoulin Island, which is the ancestral home of six of the Anishinabe first nations.
Thank you for the invitation to appear before the committee and to participate in the study of administration and accessibility of indigenous peoples to the non-insured health benefits program. I hope I can provide useful information that can be considered to improve the program and provide easier and quicker access to care for people who are in need.
I'm here to highlight some of the hardships that people go through to get the care that they need. Some of the things I'd like to discuss that delay access to care in the pharmacy world include the prior approval processes. There are limits to a number of eligible products and, sometimes, there are permanent conditions. Things should be indefinitely approved, especially if it's a permanent condition. Examples of that are ostomy supplies and having to renew them every three months.
Another [Technical difficulty—Editor] are the special authorizations processes. Some medications have limited-use paperwork involved. Examples are prescriptions written at an emergency department or prescriptions for chronic conditions.
Another thing that delays access to care is the wound assessment processes, which are very difficult to fill out and get approved. An example of that is that we deal with acute open wounds, but the process to fill out the paperwork for NIHB to accept it could take hours, weeks or days, so it's a very long process to get approved.
Another example is the diabetic flash glucose monitoring system. It is not covered, and I assume it's due to funding. Reducing complications of diabetes early will save a lot in the future. I believe the limiting factor is funding and allocation, but a lot of money would be saved in the long run if we reduced the burden on the health care system. That can be done through primary prevention and intervening before health effects occur.
Early education about health can prevent short- and long-term impacts. Continuity of care once diagnosed or discharged will reduce costs and improve outcomes. Home care will improve the quality to the individual and reduce hospital readmissions. Removing red tape that hinders progress will make things easier.
Due to the complexity in the processes and procedures, a lot of pharmacies are not able to serve NIHB clients. This is because of the time needed to complete one task, or because of the lack of funding to the provider. A major part of the day is spent dealing with a lot of paperwork or on the phone trying to get something approved, instead of providing direct patient care.
I'm sure every department and committee would like to provide the best possible care to our most vulnerable patients, but the amount of paperwork, phone calls and bureaucracy involved makes everything difficult, time consuming and financially not feasible.
I'm here to express my opinion and relay information of what happens at the pharmacy level on a day-to-day basis. I'm passionate about helping people and trying to provide the best possible care and service that I possibly can. I would like people to have a dignified life. A person who is already sick or has a medical condition should not have to worry about paperwork, approval processes, coverage discrepancies, expiry of approvals, etc. All that does is make them lose hope in the system.
I've only listed a few examples that may delay patient care. I'll leave the rest of the time to clarify or to answer any questions you may have.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to join you today.