Canada and B.C. signed two bilateral health-care agreements worth $426 million on Tuesday (July 23), committed to supporting care aides and increasing access to certain medications. 

Both agreements are a first in Canada and both are fully funded by Ottawa. 

The first is an amendment to the $733-million Aging with Dignity agreement announced in February. It adds $232 million over five years to the initial plan, which will be used to better compensate publicly funded health-care assistants.

Also known as care aides, health-care assistants are front line workers who often work in long-term care and assisted living facilities, as well as in home support and hospitals. According to WorkSafeBC, they are currently paid an average of $52,140 a year, or $25 an hour. 

Minister Adrian Dix said Tuesday that the fresh funds will let them better pay the 13,000 full-time equivalent care aids currently working in B.C. The funds aren't meant to hire any new workers, but Dix said more money and benefits will likely encourage more people to join the profession. 

WorkSafeBC says there are 22,480 job openings for nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates in B.C. 

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The second agreement promises $194 million over three years to increase drug coverage for rare diseases. This will initially apply to two new drugs: Poteligeo, which treats mycosis fungoides or S茅zary syndrome, and Oxlumo, which treats hyperoxaluria type 1.

The drugs are two of 12 being considered on a list developed by provinces and territories over the last year. Dix said B.C. is in negotiations with pharmaceutical companies to determine a price on the other 10. They will be announced publicly if and once they are covered. 

Dix added Tuesday that if they decide to drop one of the drugs on their list of 12, it is possible that it will be replaced with a different medication for provincial coverage. 

B.C. has also committed through the new agreement to improve screening and diagnostics for rare diseases. In Canada, one in 12 people have a rare disease, according to the federal government. 

A national charity group, the Gastrointestinal Society, has criticized B.C. for approving and covering fewer rare disease medications than most other provinces. 

B.C.害羞草研究所檚 latest shows the province covered 1,132 types of drugs in 2021/2022. By comparison, Quebec covered more than 8,000 and Alberta and Ontario each covered around 5,000, according to their respective government websites.

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