To: Christian Dubé, Québec Minister of Health

A story shared by many families across Québec
My uncle received his diagnosis of unmethylated glioblastoma one month before his 52nd birthday. For patients like him, the standard chemotherapy (temozolomide) shows no proven survival benefit. Optune is currently the only treatment recognized internationally and by Canadian medical consensus that can prolong life for these patients.

Each day without access to Optune is another day lost, another graduation he might not see, another family moment he may miss. Across Québec, families are living the same nightmare: watching loved ones deteriorate while knowing a proven, life-extending treatment exists, but is being denied for administrative and budgetary reasons.

Give hope - fund Optune for patients with glioblastoma
For the first time in twenty years, there is real hope for patients diagnosed with glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of primary brain cancer.
That hope is Optune , a non-invasive, FDA and Health Canada approved medical device that uses tumor-treating fields to slow cancer growth and extend life.

Optune is funded in many countries around the world. But in Québec or other provinces, it is not despite being recognized by Canadina clinical guidelines. 
That means patients and their families, already facing unbearable emotional and physical pain, must also find a way to pay $27,000 + tx per month out of pocket to access it.

Québec is behind
In September 2023, Québec’s own health evaluation body, INESSS,  recognized Optune’s clinical value. In its report, INESSS stated that Optune provides “statistically and clinically significant benefits”, particularly by prolonging overall survival. And yet, despite this acknowledgment, the treatment remains unfunded.

Unlike drugs that require RAMQ listing, Optune is not subject to the same restrictions,  there is no legal or administrative barrier preventing public funding.

This is about human rights
From a legal standpoint, the persistent refusal to authorize access to Optune constitutes a violation of fundamental rights:

• It endangers the life and security of patients like my uncle, in violation of Article 7 of the Canadian Charter and Article 1 of the Québec Charter, while the Supreme Court has already ruled that such restrictions can be unconstitutional.
• It creates inequality in access to a recognized treatment for a vulnerable group, contrary to Article 15 of the Canadian Charter and Article 10 of the Québec Charter.

What we’re asking
We, the undersigned, call on Minister Christian Dubé and the Ministry of Health and Social Services to:

• Authorize the public reimbursement of Optune for patients diagnosed with glioblastoma in Québec.
• Act immediately to ensure that patients can access this treatment without financial ruin.
• Recognize that Optune is not a luxury, it is a matter of life or death.

Why this matters
My uncle, like so many others, is not a budget line or statistic.
He is a father, a husband, a brother, and a taxpayer who has contributed to the system his whole life. Every day, he and others like him are being abandoned by the very system meant to protect them.

Families are now turning to crowdfunding to buy a few extra months of life for their loved ones. This is unacceptable in a province that prides itself on innovation, equity, and compassion.

Québec can do better
We call on Minister Dubé to act with urgency and humanity, to ensure that Québec’s health system does not let patients die because of bureaucracy and inaction. Together, we can give hope back to families who are fighting for time.

Sign this petition to urge the Government of Québec to fund Optune now.