Improving health-care access
P.E.I. pharmacists should have expanded role to help Islanders with their health-care needs
March is Pharmacy Awareness month. Hats off to the pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy teams who are improving health-care access in every community across the province.
Despite the significant human resources needs of the profession, and the increasing demands of the public on an inadequate health-care system, P.E.I.’S pharmacy professionals practise with resiliency and caring to meet the needs of Islanders.
PRIMARY PROVIDER
According to the latest data from statistics Canada, P.E.I. ranks last among all the provinces when it comes to access to a regular health-care provider. In 2022, 76 per cent of Islanders surveyed said they had a primary care provider, down nine percentage points from three years before.
P.E.I. pharmacists are the most accessible health professional to help Islanders access primary care, especially the thousands without a family doctor. Every community in the province has access to a pharmacy – often accessible days, evenings and weekends.
The introduction of the Pharmacy Plus Program in 2022 by the provincial government was a step in the right direction, allowing Island pharmacists to
provide better access to treatment of 35 common ailments such as urinary tract infection, eczema, heart burn, nasal congestion, contraception, assessment for treatment of mild COVID-19, and more.
However, P.E.I. is more than 15 years behind other leading provinces such as Alberta allowing pharmacists to utilize their full skillset and knowledge.
SCOPE OF PRACTICE
P.E.I. pharmacists need to be given the opportunity to assess and prescribe for common ailments such as strep throat, sinus infection and ear infection, to name a few. P.E.I. pharmacists need to be given the opportunity to manage and prescribe for chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, COPD, congestive heart failure and others, where appropriate.
P.E.I. pharmacists need to be given the opportunity to assess, prescribe and administer for all vaccinations. P.E.I. pharmacists need to be given the opportunity to provide health screenings and other programs such as smoking cessation.
Why are P.E.I. pharmacists’ being limited in their scope of practice?
EXPANDED MODEL
I urge the P.E.I. Department of Health and Wellness to work with the P.E.I. College of Pharmacy to allow pharmacists to practise to their full knowledge and skillset.
We have demonstrated resiliency throughout the pandemic. We are able to deliver more health-care services, just like our colleagues in other provinces, including Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
We are ready to meet the health-care needs of Islanders and they need our help. As the smallest province, we can quickly modernize health care to become a model for the country.