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Britt Kural has been a practicing Winnipeg pharmacist for 27 years.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Pharmacists Manitoba is calling on the government to expand the scope of health services and bring care up to par with other provinces, better co-ordinate patient care and retain and recruit pharmacists.<\/p>\n
Manitoba pharmacists have the most restricted scope of practice in Canada even though all are trained equally across the country, the organization says.<\/p>\n
The advocacy group is asking the province to allow pharmacists to diagnose and prescribe medication for 41 common ailments their counterparts elsewhere in Canada can treat. They include asthma, ear infections, ringworm, pink eye, warts, shingles and swimmer\u2019s ear. The full list can be viewed at: wfp.to\/pharmacists<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know that the satisfaction rate from patients who have accessed care through pharmacies is very high, and we know that there are lots of patients who don\u2019t have access to a family physician or our primary care provider,\u201d said Kural, who works with Pharmacists Manitoba as a pharmacy practice adviser. \u201cIt\u2019s really important that everybody has access to to that level of care.\u201d<\/p>\n Manitoba pharmacists are only able to assist patients with 14 common conditions including dermatitis, dandruff, mild acne, hives and hemorrhoids.<\/p>\n In the last month, several provinces have announced broader powers for pharmacists.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really important that everybody has access to to that level of care.\u201d<\/p>\n On May 11, Ontario announced it would allow pharmacists to assess and prescribe medication for nine additional ailments than they already do, as well as administer six vaccines for tetanus, whooping cough, diphtheria, respiratory syncytial virus, shingles and pneumococcal virus.<\/p>\n Pharmacists in Prince Edward Island can now diagnose and treat ear and sinus infections. Saskatchewan recently implemented a similar plan to allow pharmacists to treat strep throat and ear infections.<\/p>\n Alberta pharmacists lead all provinces in scope of care as they service 58 common ailments.<\/p>\n A Pharmacists Manitoba survey found 62 per cent of students in the University of Manitoba\u2019s College of Pharmacy are considering relocating to another province to make the most of their training and education. The same survey found 53 per cent of recent graduates are considering relocating. Another seven per cent have signed contracts to leave.<\/p>\n Kural said expanding powers for pharmacists would help northern communities that face doctor shortages.<\/p>\n \u201cAlmost all of those communities have a pharmacy, so why not take advantage of the infrastructure and the health-care practitioners you have ready to take on some of these activities by enabling them to do what we\u2019re trained to do?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Ryan Remiorz \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES<\/p>\n In the last month, several provinces have announced broader powers for pharmacists than just filling prescriptions.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n In November\u2019s Throne Speech, Premier Wab Kinew said the province would expand the scope of practice for pharmacists, \u201cso you can skip the doctor\u2019s office and pick up prescriptions for birth control, (urinary tract infections) and common ailments at your local pharmacy.\u201d<\/p>\n The former Progressive Conservative government expanded pharmacist roles to diagnose and treat UTIs in 2021. The province announced last May pharmacists would be able to prescribe birth control and HIV medications.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not take advantage of the infrastructure and the health-care practitioners you have ready to take on some of these activities by enabling them to do what we\u2019re trained to do?\u201d<\/p>\n Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said Thursday initiating that process was taking longer than expected and pharmacists should be able to prescribe those drugs by the fall.<\/p>\n Asagwara said the NDP government is working with advocacy groups and the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba to identify which ailments could be handled by pharmacists.<\/p>\n The minister blamed the former Tory government for not expanding the abilities of pharmacists during its two terms in government.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve made real progress in enhancing pharmacists\u2019 scope of practice. This work takes time,\u201d Asagwara said.<\/p>\n Doctors Manitoba says it would like to see pharmacists playing a bigger role in assessing and medicating ailments, but it needs to be part of a broader conversation about how the province can improve patient care.<\/p>\n \u201cCo-ordinated care should see doctors, pharmacists and other providers working together as a team to meet patients\u2019 needs, rather than creating more gaps for patients to fall through,\u201d a Doctors Manitoba spokesperson said in an email. The spokesperson said if there\u2019s too little co-ordination, long-term care and monitoring medications can become difficult.<\/p>\n The College of Pharmacists of Manitoba said in a statement expanding the duties of pharmacists has the potential to improve access to care for patients.<\/p>\n nicole.buffiee@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n Conditions for pharmacists<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Nicole Buffie Nicole Buffie is a reporter for the Free Press city desk. Born and bred in Winnipeg, Nicole graduated from Red River College\u2019s Creative Communications program in 2020 and worked as a reporter throughout Manitoba before joining the Free Press newsroom as a multimedia producer in 2023. Read more about Nicole<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Nicole produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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