Two months into B.C. making contraception free to those with MSP, a nurse practitioner says patients are asking for more information on different types of birth control 91裸聊视频� and waits for IUDs have nearly doubled.
Vancouver nurse practitioner Sara Eftekhar said since April 1 91裸聊视频� when B.C. became the first in the country to make several types of contraception free to those with Medical Services Plans 91裸聊视频� she91裸聊视频檚 seen an increase of people who have chosen a different type of birth control, specifically intrauterine devices, a long-acting form of birth control.
Eftekhar was used to prescribing birth control pills, which have typically been the the cheaper option for contraception.
91裸聊视频淏ut now, at appointments, people are interested into interested in learning about the shots or the different types of IUDs. And that wasn91裸聊视频檛 really like the case before,91裸聊视频� she explained.91裸聊视频漀ow the conversation has shifted, with people being able to choose, which is really empowering, and really important for achieving health equity.91裸聊视频�
Typically, Eftekhar said, IUDs were much more expensive. Even with benefits, people could still be paying $100 or more.
91裸聊视频淎 lot of people chose not to actually get it even though we know from evidence that long-term IUDs, they have the the best benefits.91裸聊视频�
But that91裸聊视频檚 now leading to longer waits for people to get them between trying to get a doctor91裸聊视频檚 appointment and making an appointment to get an IUD.
Prior to April, 1, Eftekhar said waits were roughly three to four weeks. Now they could be upwards of eight weeks.
91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 one of the big barriers is like how the government has introduced this new policy, but hasn91裸聊视频檛 really thought about ways of supporting family practitioners, like nurse practitioners or family doctors, and how to make it accessible for people to be able to get it.91裸聊视频�
Black Press Media reached out to the Health Ministry to see if they have any data on contraception prescriptions in the last two months, but a spokesperson said it91裸聊视频檚 too early to comment on any trends.
Eftekhar said that several types of contraception are also not included in the government91裸聊视频檚 list. That discrepancy, she said, is disappointing.
Beyond wait times, there is also the issues of equitable access throughout the province.
For Eftekhar, she finds language to be a barrier.
91裸聊视频淚 see a lot of people who want the free contraception who are majority white and English speaking. Whereas I don91裸聊视频檛 really see that 91裸聊视频� for a lot of communities who are non-English speakers.91裸聊视频�
She said that has a lot to do with how the province has marketed the free contraception. She points to COVID-19 around education and vaccines, which was translated into multiple languages with far-reaching engagement.
Demand for different types of contraception could increase even further, she said.
For AccessBC, which campaigned for free birth control in B.C., there is still a push for more equitable access in the non-metropolitan regions of the province.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 much easier to get access to contraception, prescription or otherwise, in a major metropolitan centre, like Victoria or Vancouver, but much harder for people in rural and remote communities,91裸聊视频� said Teale Phelps Bondaroff, a researcher and Saanich city councillor.
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But he hopes that with pharmacists being able to prescribe some birth control as of this week that it could help.
91裸聊视频淭he need to go get a prescription for the pill, every three months is a burden on our healthcare system. If someone91裸聊视频檚 been comfortable using the pill for 2, 3, 4 years, having them take time from the doctor and take time out of their day to get an extra appointment to fill that prescription is unnecessary burden.91裸聊视频�
lauren.collins@blackpress.ca
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