Access to free birth control begins in British Columbia
Health-care providers are calling Saturday a "historic step for health care" in British Columbia, as the province begins offering free access to birth control.
Six different contraceptive methods are impacted, including IUDs, hormone injections and the morning-after pill.
In North Vancouver, Dr. Shideh Shadfar hadn’t seen any customers looking for the free birth control at her pharmacy by mid-afternoon, but believes the announcement is still too new.
“This increases the affordability and accessibility to all British Columbian residents, “ said Shadfar. “It will also help (people) to decrease costs and not to be worried about their contraceptives.”
According to the province, later this spring, pharmacists like Shadfar will have more responsibility.
"The great news is that in the summer pharmacists will have the ability to prescribe contraceptives without going to your doctor,” she said.
As the province struggles with a dire doctor shortage, the additional power for pharmacists comes as welcome news.
"Pharmacy students nowadays are graduating with doctor of pharmacy degrees, so it does increase the scope of practice for pharmacists and does decrease the burden on primary care physians because they're already so overworked,” said Alixandra Logan, a PharmD candidate student.
Before Saturday, the cost of hormonal birth control varied from around $25 for a box of pills to a one-time cost of more than $400 for IUDs.
Nurse practitioner Sara Eftekhar points out that vasectomies have been free in B.C. for years.
“It's a huge, historic day and a huge, historic win for reproductive rights,” Eftakhar said.
Contraceptives can be prescribed for reasons other than pregnancy prevention.
"I've had patients with (polycystic ovary syndrome), acne, people who have really debilitating periods or I have a lot of patients who have menopausal systems who use the patch, but the patch is not covered so they're really upset about that,” she said.
Next, she’d like to see fee menstrual products offered throughout the province.
The new savings is part of the NDP government’s platform.
Opposition parties in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan are also promising free contraceptives if they’re elected.
B.C. will spend $119 million over the next three years for the new program.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.