Hi! I hope everyone is doing well. I am going to be starting my year in Canada through the CIC scheme in a few weeks but I had assumed the NHS would supply me with enough inhalers to last me the year, which I just found out is not the case. How do I get inhalers while in Canada? Can they be purchased in a pharmacy? My doctor here doesn't have a clue

Any walk in clinic will write you a prescription. I'm not sure if you can get provincial health coverage on a one year visa. If not then you'll pay for the visit as well as the prescription cost

Why assume the NHS will give you inhalers for the year when you are not in the country? I worked in a GP surgery and the most the GP's would give would be 3 months.

Because when I went away for 6 months they gave me 6. Also I assumed it because although I'm not at home for a year I am still a tax paying UK citizen. And I wasn't sure if I could get them in Canada when I'm not a PR and won't have a family doctor. My backup plan was to buy them online but that can be risky and this is something I really need for day to day life.

Thanks Zoe. Do you know how much a walk in charge is? I believe the inhaler itself is about $76 per month to Canadians who don't get them through benefits.

Which province are you headed for?

Once you qualify for provincial health care coverage (most province have a three month wait) a walk -in clinic will not charge you. You will as you know have to pay for the inhaler unless you have coverage through your employer.

You can get three months worth of your inhaler before you leave so the three month wait shouldn't be a problem.

$57 total for blue and brown inhalers in Toronto.The all in one Advair is $200.

It's advair that I take That's an extra $2400 a year. Holy Smitherines.

Will you get any health insurance from your work?

I have asthma also. My work plan covers 80% of cost of my brown budesonide Pulmicort turbohaler.

This seems to retail at around $80 here in Ontario

On the plus side, I tend to use it less than in the UK. Suspect that cleaner air might be the reason, though there are all sorts of other factors possibly.

What dose of advair is that? I am on Seretide(Advair) 100. $200 sounds a lot considering online they are around £41 for the genuine diskus.

No my work won't cover anything like that. I'll be in Ontario too. I was thinking the hot muggy summer and freezing winter would actually make things worse for asthma sufferers.

Winter is nice and dry though.

None of that damp chill you get in the UK, although obviously freezing of course.

Can you not talk to your doc and ask again?
When we emigrated my doc gave me at least 6mths worth if not more.
Good luck with your trip!
And I find my asthma better over here than the UK!

I have mild asthma and use a Bricanyl Turbuhaler over here. I used to use the aerosol version in the UK but they don't seem to have that over here, so had to use the powder one.

I was on a TWP (intra company transferee), but I did not actually sign up for a health card for quite a while, so not sure if that class is subject to the normal three month wait, pretty sure others in the company who came over at the same time were able to sign up right away.

Anyway, when I did get my card, walk in clinics were free to attend, just show your health card, and they were more than happy to provide me with a repeat prescription for my inhaler, usually with a couple of additional refills too. I used walk in's for at least four years, both in Toronto and Oakville, until I finally got round to registering with a doctor in March this year.

Cost of my inhaler is about $35, which isn't too bad, seems to last me at least four months, if not longer. I do get 80% of that back as I'm on my wife's health plan, but even still, $35 isn't too bad, ok, more expensive than it would be in the UK (think the dollar amount would be about $14)

I would say I was silly in waiting for so long, and you should get personal health coverage until you are able to get OHIP. If I had injured myself in some way that required medical attention I'm not sure how much it would have cost me.

Why will you be paying tax in the UK if you are living in Canada?