OTTAWA — A Health Canada revamp of a compensation program doesn’t boost annual payments to a level that could make the difference between independence and institutionalization, thalidomide survivor Fiona Sampson said Thursday. The department currently provides annual tax-free payments to survivors ranging in three categories –$25,000, $75,000 and $100,000 — based on individual disability level. “We will provide new financial support to more eligible thalidomide survivors, because it is the right thing to do,” Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor said in response to the criticism. The announcement received praise from a separate group on Wednesday — the Thalidomide Survivors Taskforce — that thanked Taylor for working to improve the lives of Canada’s thalidomide survivors. Outstanding concerns over the inadequacy of annual payments for survivors is a simple situation to fix, Sampson said Thursday.

Source: National Post January 10, 2019 20:36 UTC