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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
Mugglehead Magazine
Alternative investment news based in Vancouver, B.C.

Psychedelics

Quebec becomes first province to pay doctors for psilocybin-assisted therapy

Two physicians were paid by the provincial government for facilitating the therapy earlier this year

Quebec becomes first province to pay doctors for psilocybin therapy
Photo by LordToran via Wikimedia Commons

Two doctors in Quebec have now been paid in full by the provincial government for facilitating psilocybin-assisted therapy after submitting a letter to authorities detailing its efficacy and safety.

On Wednesday, TheraPsil revealed that Dr. Houman Farzin and Dr. Jean-François Stephan had received monetary compensation for their work providing the psychedelic treatment to a patient with a medical exemption from Health Canada back in June. 

This is the first time in Canadian history that a governing medical body has covered the costs of this type of therapy it and it won’t be the last. All future psilocybin sessions in the province will be covered for patients who have been granted medical access going forward.

Read more: Awakn set to research ketamine for alcohol use disorder

Read more: Health Canada provides guidance for clinical trials on psychedelics

Prior to receiving payment, there were no codes for psilocybin-assisted therapy and the existing framework did not permit two doctors to bill the government for treating one patient at the same time. Thus, Dr. Stephan crafted a letter co-signed by 15 colleagues detailing the safety, efficacy and scientific evidence supporting the use of magic mushrooms for treating mental health conditions and arguing that the costs associated with providing the therapy to those who need it should be covered.

Dr. Stephan conversed with the Federation of General Practitioners of Quebec (Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec), a governing organization for general practitioners in the province, and persuaded the government body to amend the codes. The organization eventually agreed that mushroom therapy is a medically insured treatment, therefore enabling the Ministry of Health and Social Services (Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux) to revise the codes and bill for the session.

Read more: Field Trip offers free psychedelic-assisted therapy for laid off tech workers

Read more: Psilocybin advocates protest in Ottawa demanding fair medical access

“I think it’s amazing news that patients have covered access to such an important healthcare measure and it’s an encouraging sign for psychedelic medicine. Quebec has chosen to align with the science in regards to psychedelic medicine and recognize it as a medically indicated service,” said Dr. Stephan.

“They didn’t delay this. It’s encouraging to see them not hold medicine back from patients, accept the evidence as is, recognize the value of psychedelic medicine, and support the financial aspect so that it’s not an obstacle. I’m happy this happened in Quebec, and it should be in all of Canada. I hope other provinces follow in their footsteps.”

Dr. Farzin added that it was heartwarming to see this groundbreaking therapy become more freely accessible for patients who need it as it becomes an integral part of our healthcare system.

Mugglehead has reached out to TheraPsil for more specific information regarding the treatment and will update this article accordingly.

 

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