Health is Wealth: Closing the Rare Diseases Gap in Canadian Healthcare
On December 3, 2021, the Public Policy Forum (PPF) convened stakeholders, experts and advocates in public, private and non-governmental sectors with support from The Canadian Forum for Rare Disease Innovators (RAREi) and Life Sciences Ontario (LSO). The discussion, “Closing the Rare Diseases Gap in Canadian Healthcare,” heard from panelists Durhane Wong-Rieger, President and CEO of the Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders (CORD); Andrew Taylor, Manager and Senior Policy Advisor at Health Canada; and Dr. Jason Field, President and CEO of LSO. Participants focused on how to attract investments in the life sciences sector, interjurisdictional and intersectoral collaboration, and the importance of timely action in addressing the many challenges patients with rare diseases face in the Canadian healthcare system. Fatemah Ebrahim, Policy Associate at PPF, reflects on the conversation.