Eastern Ontario pharmacists ready for more expanded powers
At Reddendale Pharmacy in Kingston, Ont., pharmacist Allan D’Souza is ready to hand out more help, and prescriptions, to his customers.
On Thursday, the Ontario government announced in its 2023 budget that pharmacists are being given the power to prescribe new medications come the fall.
Those include for medications that treat
- Moderate acne
- Canker sores
- Diaper dermatitis
- Yeast infections
- Pinworms and threadworms
- Nausea and vomiting related to pregnancy
In January, the Ford government started to allow pharmacists to prescribe for 13 of the most common ailments, things like cold sores and insect bites.
D’Souza says the new list shows that there’s confidence the system is working.
"It’s kind of, just showing there’s been a benefit and we can increase that benefit," he says.
D’Souza says it is another tool to help patients and go beyond over-the-counter medications.
"We’ve recently did some renovations, hired new staff in preparation for this,” he says. "There's been new software developed to help pharmacies work with all this, do some of the triage and make sure we’re not missing certain red flags."
The move is in the hopes of easing the burden on hospitals and physicians during a critical doctor's shortage.
Despite pushback from some doctors about the expanded powers, many patients say they feel confident about the decision.
Michael Spencer says that while he has a family physician, he would still use a pharmacist if given the option.
"There are wait lines, and there are people that are usually a lot sicker than I usually am, and if I can reduce the wait times that I can see a doctor…I certainly would."
Pharmacists will now have to balance more patient care, filling prescriptions and giving out COVID-19 and flu shots, but D’Souza says they are ready.
"We’re figuring it out and it’s a welcome challenge to have," he says.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.