Skip to main content

B.C. pharmacists call on province to allow them to prescribe medications amid doctor shortage

Share

Pharmacists are calling for the B.C. government to allow them to prescribe medication for minor ailments, especially as the province's doctor shortage continues to impact nearly a million residents.

In Alberta, pharmacists are already allowed to prescribe certain medications, such as drugs for cold sores or urinary tract infections. A similar system is also coming to Ontario.

Yoshi Ito, a pharmacist at the People's Pharmacy in Colwood, B.C., says it makes sense for pharmacists to be able to do the same here.

The solution would cut down on some of the long wait times the province is seeing for doctors, he says.

"The B.C. pharmacy association has been advocating, for years, for its members to be able to prescribe for minor conditions," said Ito.

"It's also been pushing for them to renew many more medications than they're currently allowed," he said.

Currently, pharmacists in B.C. are not allowed to prescribe medicine. However, they can renew certain prescriptions before they expire as long as that prescription has remained stable for approximately six months.

Most prescriptions generally expire after one year. Following that, a doctor needs to renew the prescription, though in emergencies pharmacists can step in and offer limited amounts of prescribed drugs.

CTV News reached out to the Ministry of Health asking if the ministry was thinking about following the lead of other provinces.

In a statement, the ministry said it would be focusing on optimizing what pharmacists can currently do, rather than expanding their responsibilities – meaning pharmacists won't be able to prescribe new meds in B.C. anytime soon.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

BREAKING

BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants

Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.

Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence

During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.

Stay Connected