Dear Editor,
By now most of you are aware that the McGuinty government is proposing a massive funding cut to community pharmacies in the amount of $1 billion a year. This is equivalent to approximately cutting three pharmacists from each pharmacy in Ontario. What you may not know is the impact this will have on seniors, young families and basically anyone who walks into the pharmacy to see their pharmacist.
Pharmacists are front-line health care professionals. What other health care worker is available to the public in person on a walk-in basis or on the phone within minutes without an appointment? We are available nights, weekends and on holidays. Pharmacists are always at the beck and call of patients and other health care workers to answer questions about health and medications.
Over the past week I have done an informal tally to count the number of interactions I personally have made with patients. I have answered over 100 questions pertaining to patients’ health in one week, over and above questions pertaining to prescriptions dispensed. This is not to mention all the other free services we offer – blood pressure and blood glucose monitoring, making presentations to community groups, clinic days, smoking cessation counselling, contacting physicians for repeats or changes in medication therapy, pill splitting, dosette filling, income tax and patient profile reports, completion of various forms, contacting and explaining third party payer issues for example Trillium, disposal of outdated medications and sharps containers, shredding of confidential documents and of course free delivery to those unable to get out. All of these services are in jeopardy to the people of Ontario if the Liberal government succeeds in its bid against pharmacy.
It is my question that if pharmacists do not answer these 100 questions per week, who will? Will it be our already overburdened doctor’s offices? Will Telehealth Ontario hire more nurses to field these questions? How many more unnecessary emergency room visits will there be if pharmacists are unavailable to the public when their doctor’s offices are closed? How much will this cost the Ontario healthcare system?
The McGuinty government is proposing to eliminate the accessibility of front-line health care workers - your local pharmacist to Ontario patients. If they are successful with funding cuts to community pharmacy, this will leave pharmacists with no choice but to make major changes to their patient services. There will be longer wait times for prescriptions and reduced operating hours. There may be staff lay-offs which will burden Ontario’s Employment Insurance. Finally, there will be the elimination of the many free services mentioned earlier. Some pharmacies may even have to close their doors.
If you value your current relationship with your local pharmacist – being able to access him or her at any time of the day or week without a wait, please let your MPP know, visit www.stopcuts.ca or at the very least sign our petition in the pharmacy.
Thank you for your support,
Kristin Davies, Pharmacist Muxlow Pharmacy, Meaford
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