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Canadian Medical continued
(continued from previous post.........)
As soon as you get to Canada, register with Pharmacare. This government agency will pick up the cost of your prescription medication above a certain maximum. It will also further subsidize you if your income is below a certain amount. Pharmacare only covers generic medications in each class unless the doctor writes a compelling reason as to why you need a name brand of something. But the coverage is pretty extensive.
Canadian doctors work as teams. At the oncology hospital they will have designated days where they will meet with each other to discuss their cases. This is advantageous because the different types of doctors that are involved with you will actually be coordinating and talking with each other. Another plus is that you will get the benefit of the combined knowlege and experience of several doctors (including not your own) with the same and different specialties focussing on your case at once for added feedback and synergy. Everything is centrally electronically filed so that it will save on duplication of tests and all the medical people have seamless communication. I believe that if you have privacy concerns - you can forbid this medical interaction - I however thought that it was a great concept - no one knows everything. You will be able to access your medical files free of charge.
For further information, I suggest that you contact the Canadian Cancer Society. They are extremely user friendly and will give one-on-one help by phone or email.
I hope you enjoy your stay here.
Regards,
Merridith
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