REGINA - Expanded options to treat strep throat and ear infections are up and running in the province.
On Wednesday at an announcement at a pharmacy in north Regina, the province officially launched new services to allow pharmacists in the province to provide one-stop testing for strep throat and ear infections, as well as to prescribe and dispense medication to treat those conditions as needed.
Minister of Rural and Remote Health Lori Carr said eleven pharmacies will conduct on-site assessments for both strep throat and ear infections. Those are located in Biggar, Foam Lake, Humboldt, Kindersley, Meadow Lake, Melfort, Moose Jaw, Outlook, Stoughton, Swift Current and Yorkton.
Another 37 pharmacies will be screening to treat for ear infections, and those will be all over the province.
“We recognize that pharmacists are highly trained and trusted professionals and in many communities the pharmacy is the only place to access health care,” Carr said. “Expanding their scope of practice optimizes their skills, builds capacity within our health care system and brings care closer to home, allows patients to have greater access to health services.”
The reason this is being launched as a pilot project, said Carr, is “to see if there are any gaps that we haven't thought of or any pitfalls that we may need to address, before rolling it out full-scale across the province and ensuring that when people do present at a pharmacy that they are going to get the best service available.”
“ I don't call it a pilot, I call it more of a demonstration project for what we're trying to do because this is different,” said Scott Livingstone, President-elect of the Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals.
“First of all, it's not mandatory. Level 2 prescribing for pharmacists is not a mandatory requirement for pharmacy. So they need to choose to accept that additional training and to be able to offer that service."
The province had made the announcement back in September of the expansion of the ability of pharmacists to test for strep throat and ear infections. The province is investing over $700,000 for this expansion, including for training. According to the province, over 140 pharmacists have been trained to meet the requirements of the Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals.
"Providing pharmacists the ability to test and prescribe for strep throat and ear infections ensures patients have timely and appropriate access to care," said Rexall Drugstore Moose Jaw Pharmacy Manager Chad Miskiman.
"We're often open extended hours, often 12 to 14 hour days, seven days a week. Unfortunately, many communities in Saskatchewan don't have access to frontline medical staff or even emergency medical services in many communities and pharmacists are primary, if not the initial contact point in the healthcare system.”
Miskiman pointed to statistics showing that approximately 200,000 members of the Saskatchewan population are without a family medical provider.
“So this announcement today uniquely allows greater care for the population and public in Saskatchewan and just brings forth the ability for pharmacists to be an active member and utilize our skills to the fullest scope."
Michael Fougere, Chief Executive Officer of the Pharmacy Association of Saskatchewan, said that while this program will "initially be available in a limited number of pharmacies across the province, it will create a potential for province-wide expansion in the coming years.
“Expanding the role of pharmacies will help address critical healthcare challenges, improving access to healthcare, reducing wait times for treatments, and lightening the load of emergency rooms for the healthcare providers,” said Fougere. “We'll also help parents who cannot run to the local pharmacy when the child wakes up with an earache, or individuals who can get fast and effective treatment for strep throat without missing work or school.”
