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

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.