Pharmacists can do a lot more than you may think.
March is pharmacists awareness month, and Manitoba pharmacists want to make the public and government aware that they can provide health care services beyond traditional drug dispensing.
Vice President of Pharmacist Manitoba, Barret Procyshyn says that pharmacists should be allowed to branch out and offer more medical services to patients to help ease the burden on the health care system.
"Prescribing for self limiting conditions like acne, adapting prescriptions, ordering lab tests, prescribing for smoking sensation. We can do all of that, and we want Manitobans to know that."
But lots of services that pharmacists can do are not covered under the provincial drug plan. The only thing that is covered under the provincial drug plan is immunizations.
"Other provinces cover a wide variety of services and Manitoba has been kind of left out when you look across Canada for covering pharmacy services. So by having to charge the patient it is really creating a two tier health care system."
Procyshyn says things that you can go to your pharmacist for is things called minor ailments or self limiting conditions.
"When we say that we can prescribe for minor ailments and maybe save a walk in visit, or a visit to the emergency room. Those things include, nausea, vomiting, pregnancy, acne, eczema treatment, contact dermatitis treatment to go along with smoking sensation. So there is a good list there of things that we can prescribe for that people would normally go in to see their doctor for."
But lots of pharmacy services like those, are not covered under the provincial drug plan for pharmacists to practice to their full scope.
Procyshyn says Manitoba pharmacists are just asking for a chance.
"Give us a couple of these services so they can be covered in Manitoba for everyone to take advantage of, and we will show the benefit in the health care system down the stream. So, this can save unnecessary visits to emergency rooms and maybe alleviate some wait at walk ins."
For more information you can contact your local pharmacists about the services that they can offer.
As well, you can go to healthcareondemandmb.com
