THE ONTARIO PHARMACIST HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED–WHAT TOOK THE GOVERNMENT SO LONG?

 ON SEPT 25 THIS FRIDAY ONTARIO PHARMACISTS TEST ASYMPTOMATIC PATIENTS FOR COVID 19                                     I have been retired as a practising pharmacist since about 1994 but in the last issue of “The Pharmacy Connection ”  a bi-yearly magazine which the Ontario College of Pharmacists mails to me, I was delighted to read that the College Board approved of regulations to allow practising pharmacists to prescribe medicines for minor ailments. It was about time! With the number of Canadians living to the ripe old age of 80 and even 90, we senior citizens could have broken, with doctor fees and costs of prescription drugs, the budget of the Ministry of Health. When I graduated from the Ontario College of Pharmacy, as it was known then, the pharmacist was NEVER allowed to choose a medicine for a customer. When the customer came in you could refer, for instance to Benylin as a good cough medicine but you were obligated to allow the customer to make his or her choice from other cough medicines you showed them. Pharmacists could not prescribe.NEVER

As most of the people reading this blog are not health-care professionals or seniors I am going to provide some information so this article makes sense to my readers 1.Senior citizens use much more services provided by the Ministry of Health via doctor’s fees. The prescriptions written by the doctor is usually covered by the health plan in Ontario 2. Senior citizens do get sick more often than younger people but do not require, as often as they think, doctor`s care. This care can be provided by a practising pharmacist with the proper training.3. A visit to a General Practitioner has a standard cost and cannot be changed , no matter if the illness is not of a serious variety. The headline in the magazine Pharmacy Connection sent to me reads  “MINOR AILMENT PRESCRIBING FOR ONTARIO PHARMACISTS . The minister of health of Ontario ( the government) asked the Ontario College of Pharmacists to submit regulations to enable an expanded scope of practice for pharmacists that would allow pharmacists to prescribe for minor ailments. This would make it easier to access the health care system, for pharmacists are much more accessible than doctors and I should state quite clearly ,the pharmacist  would not charge as much , if at all , for the service of choosing the drug for the minor ailment. Whether the government gives the pharmacist a fee for service has not been decided by the powers that be.

THE GOVERNMENT`S LIST OF MINOR AILMENTS —– That an Ontario pharmacist can treat

1. Urinary tract infection (uncomplicated)  2.Dermatitis (atopic/eczema, allergic and contact skin rashes) 3. Insect bites (including tick bites ) and urticaria (hives) 4. Conjunctivitis (bacterial, allergic, viral) 5. Allergic rhinitis ( nasal symptoms from allergies ) 6. Candidal stomatitis (oral thrush) 7. Herpes labialis (cold sores ) 8. Hemorrhoids 9. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) 10. Dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramps) 11. Musculosketelal sprains and strains 12. Impetigo (bacterial skin infection common in children )

The regulatory requirements for prescribing were informed by extensive stakeholder engagement and anchored in the existing provisions for prescribing for smoking cessation, which pharmacists have been authorized to do since 2012.  The regulatory requirements include patient assessment, documentation and sharing information with the patient’s primary care provider in support of continuity of care and inter-professional collaboration.  In addition, pharmacists are required to provide the patient with the prescription and inform them of their right to fill the prescription at another pharmacy.  PLEASE NOTE THAT THE GOVERNMENT MUST APPROVE THE REGULATONS BEFORE THEY COME INTO EFFECT.

As a retired pharmacist (graduated 1954) I can tell anybody that reads this blog that this is a MUST way to save health-care money for two reasons. Senior citizens who go to General Practitioners far out of proportion to their numbers in society can now go to your local pharmacist at less cost. But one thing bothers me . Will the corporations who now operate the majority of pharmacies give the pharmacist their share of the new source of income? We will see?

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