Manitoba to cover costs of oral cancer drugs

The Manitoba government is going to cover the full cost of oral cancer drugs.

Until now, patients were covered under medicare only if they were at a health-care facility or if they had private insurance, which usually has a deductible.

Health Minister Theresa Oswald says the province will now cover the entire cost of cancer drugs, even those taken at home, with no deductibles.

The government says Manitoba and Saskatchewan are the only provinces to fully cover oral cancer medication and support drugs.

Recent advances in medicine have allowed more people to take cancer treatment at home instead of in hospital, which could cost thousands of dollars per year.