Saskatchewan is giving pharmacists new powers to test and treat common illnesses, but the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) wants more help for rural areas.On Wednesday, the province announced that pharmacists will soon be able to test for strep throat and check for ear infections. Saskatchewan is the first Canadian province to allow pharmacists to perform these medical diagnoses."Pharmacists are important members of our healthcare team, and this expansion allows them to make greater use of their education and skill set to benefit Saskatchewan patients," said Everett Hindley, Minister of Health. "This innovative approach provides patients with improved access to healthcare services by offering diagnosis and treatment in one visit."For strep throat, pharmacists would use a quick test that gives results in about 10 minutes. For ear infections, they would do a physical check. If needed, the pharmacist could prescribe the medication to treat these problems.Pharmacists would have to wait to perform these checks as they need special training first."We are pleased to support the expansion of pharmacists' scope of practice to include the assessment and treatment of strep throat and ear infections," said Jeana Wendel, Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals Registrar. "These new professional services are enabled through our updated bylaws and will be for select pharmacists who choose to complete additional training and education, which will equip them with the necessary skills to deliver these services safely and effectively to the people of Saskatchewan." The province is starting a small trial run. Ten pharmacies will test the new strep throat and ear infection services, and another 50 will only check for ear infections. If the trial is a success, more pharmacies might offer these services."As the voice of pharmacists across the province, we are excited to see the expanded scope of practice to include the assessment and treatment of strep throat and ear infections," said Michael Fougere, CEO of Pharmacy Association of Saskatchewan (PAS). "Pharmacists stand ready to improve patient care by providing these enhanced services. PAS applauds the Minister and the Government of Saskatchewan for this exciting announcement." This is not the first time Saskatchewan has given pharmacists additional responsibilities. Since 2012, they have been allowed to prescribe for some minor health issues and the list now includes 30 conditions.SARM said the expanded scope of practice needs to be increased to help people in rural areas.SARM said many people in rural Saskatchewan must drive an hour or more to see a doctor and want the province to do more to bring healthcare closer to home."SARM would like to see the government launch a program similar to the one in Nova Scotia called the Community Pharmacy Primary Care program pilot project. It gave Nova Scotia the opportunity to add more pharmacy clinics in areas that had little access to a health practitioner," said Bill Huber, Acting President of SARM."The pharmacist was able to assess and prescribe for minor ailments, things such as strep throat and asthma. We believe investing in our pharmacists and adding pharmacies in our province will help fill a void for our rural residents."There are already 426 pharmacies spread across 125 rural communities in Saskatchewan.People living in rural Saskatchewan face many healthcare problems.There are not enough healthcare facilities in rural areas, which means long drives to a healthcare provider.Across the province, there is a need for more doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers.The hospitals in major cities are overcrowded and rural patients often wait hours to receive care.SARM believes letting pharmacists do more could help solve these issues. It could mean same-day appointments and longer hours for healthcare services in small towns.SARM also believes this change could create jobs for new pharmacy graduates and improve the quality of life in rural areas."SARM recognizes the importance of sustaining pharmacy services in rural Saskatchewan, but more importantly, we want to see our pharmacists be allowed to offer more services to our residents," said Huber."It's time for our government to act quickly and begin to launch the expansion of pharmacy services in RMs."The provincial government sees the new pharmacist powers as part of its Health Human Resources Action Plan. It wants to bring in more healthcare workers while keeping the existing workers.Since 2007, the number of pharmacists in Saskatchewan has grown by 38%. There are now about 1,250 working in more than 425 community pharmacies.The government's announcement did not mention that it would do more to focus on rural areas specifically.The province will now observe how the new pharmacy services work in the test locations. It will use this information to decide whether and how to expand the program to other pharmacies.Rural leaders like SARM will keep pushing for more changes, as they said that having good healthcare close to home is key to keeping rural communities strong.
