TORONTO, ON (November 4, 2021) — Today’s Fall Economic Statement released by the Ontario government makes a number of much-needed health care investments.
The Ontario Pharmacists Association (OPA) applauds the government for making broad investments across mental health care, home care, seniors care and long-term care, as well as significant funding to recruit more nurses and personal support workers over the coming years.
However, we are disappointed at the missed opportunity to improve access to care for Ontarians by expanding pharmacists’ scope of practice. Throughout the pandemic pharmacists have remained accessible and stepped up to support Ontarians, providing more than 4 million COVID-19 vaccines and supporting essential testing programs.
Ontario’s pharmacy professionals continue to call for the Ontario government to advance their scope of practice to improve access to care for minor ailments. Ontario is currently one of the only provinces in Canada that does not allow pharmacists to prescribe and treat minor ailments like urinary tract infections and pink eye. Expanding pharmacy professionals’ scope of practice can play a key role in addressing the current ongoing health care worker shortage, alleviate pressure across the health system, and improve access to care for all Ontarians.
At this critical time, we need all our health care workers working together to their full scope of practice and training. The OPA looks forward to continuing to work with the government to advance these pharmacy priorities in the coming weeks and months to provide the best level of care to all Ontarians.
About the Ontario Pharmacists Association
The Ontario Pharmacists Association is committed to evolving the pharmacy profession and advocating for excellence in practice and patient care. With nearly 10,000 members, OPA is Canada’s largest advocacy organization, and professional development provider for pharmacy professionals across Ontario. By leveraging the unique expertise of pharmacy professionals, enabling them to practise to their fullest potential, and making them more accessible to patients, OPA is working to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the healthcare system. The pharmacy sector plays a strong role in Ontario with an economic impact of more than $6.3 billion across 4,600 pharmacies, employing 60,000 Ontarians.
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