• where life expectancy is measured in months, and
• for whom treatment aimed at cure or prolonging of life is no longer deemed appropriate, but
• for whom care is aimed at improving or maintaining the quality of remaining life (eg. management of symptoms such as pain, nausea and stress).

The patient's physician must submit a completed Drug Plan Request for Palliative Care Drug Coverage form to the Drug Plan in order to register a patient for this program.

(See more information below.)

Registered palliative care patients are not charged for prescription drugs listed in the Saskatchewan Formulary. The patient's pharmacy will bill the Drug Plan for 100 per cent of the cost of benefit medications. Coverage is also provided for some commonly used laxatives, on prescription request, to patients registered under this program.

Patients, pharmacists or physicians should contact the home care office in their health district to inquire about coverage provided by the district for dietary supplements and other basic supplies.

Drugs listed under the Exception Drug Status program still require a separate physician request on behalf of the patient. See our Exception Drug Status page for the EDS Application Process.

Provisional approval may be granted in response to a telephoned request from the pharmacy, the physician or social worker involved in the patient's care, by contacting the Drug Plan at (306)787-8744 or 1-800-667-7581 (toll free). At the time of the request, the pharmacy or social worker must be in possession of a signed Palliative Care form.

After provisional coverage has been granted, the pharmacy or social worker must forward the signed form to the Drug Plan. Provisional approval may be withheld by the Drug Plan if the pharmacy or social worker is not in receipt of a signed form. All physicians requesting provisional approval must provide the Drug Plan with a signed form on the patient's behalf in a timely manner.

Upon receipt of a signed Palliative Care form, notification letters are generated by the Drug Plan, to the patient and the requesting physician.

Palliative Care Drug Coverage is routinely backdated 30 days from the date the form is received by the Drug Plan. In certain cases where a patient is eligible for coverage but application is inadvertently not made, the Drug Plan will consider backdating at the physician's request, beyond this period.