LANTZ, NOVA SCOTIA: Paul Fisher said Canada’s health ministers are moving in the right direction after they met in Newfoundland last week and pledged a collective effort to speed up study on a controversial treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS).

“I think it’s appropriate,” said Fisher, an MS-sufferer living in Lantz. “But it needs to go further.”

Fisher travelled to Germany three months ago to undergo the liberation treatment, which is based on a theory developed by Italian doctor Paolo Zamboni, who believes the clearing blocked neck veins helps MS sufferers regain their health. The community rallied around Fisher, helping him and his family raise the $20,000 needed for airfare, accommodations, and the treatment.

“I’m still doing well,” he said. “If I didn’t go, I’d have bigger mobility issues and probably have a catheter strapped to my side.”

Health ministers met in St. John’s for two days to discuss a plethora of issues. The government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced it would fund a study into the benefits experienced by patients who have already undergone the treatment, but it won’t pay for patients to have their veins unblocked for reasons related to MS.

Saskatchewan has said it will fund the treatment if clinical trials support Zamboni’s theory. The province is awaiting diagnostic tests before launching publicly-funded clinical trials of its own.

According to media reports, Nova Scotia Minister of Health Maureen MacDonald has said the provincial government will not follow Saskatchewan’s example, but will watch for results coming out of Newfoundland and participate in any nationally organized trials.

“They should start this right away,” said Fisher. “People with MS don’t have time to wait. This is not a drug. This has been proven for other operations.”

MacDonald has been elected as co-chair of health meetings between different levels of Canadian government, a position she is expected to hold for two years.

"As ministers of health, we are in complete agreement that we want to act as quickly as possible to get the expert advice we need to make informed decisions for MS patients," said MacDonald in a press release.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research met with the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada last month. The body said clinical trials would be premature.