Ontario is expanding what pharmacists can do, a move the province says will make health care faster and easier to access.
Starting in July, pharmacists will be able to administer six additional publicly funded vaccines for eligible Ontarians. Those include vaccines for tetanus, pertussis, diphtheria, pneumococcal disease, RSV and shingles.
Right now, many of those vaccines require a visit to a doctor’s office, walk-in clinic or other health-care setting.
The province is also allowing pharmacists to assess and prescribe treatment for nine more common ailments.
The new list includes calluses and corns, dandruff, dry eye, head lice, jock itch, mild headaches, nasal congestion, ringworm and warts.
Health Minister Sylvia Jones says the expansion will make it more convenient for people to get care closer to home while helping reduce pressure on family doctors, clinics and emergency departments.
Ontario says pharmacists have already completed more than 2.4 million assessments for the first 19 common ailments covered under the current program.
The province says more than 99 per cent of Ontario pharmacies are now participating.
The government also says several other health professions, including optometrists, physiotherapists, chiropractors and dental hygienists, have been directed to begin work on possible future scope expansions.
Ontario says the goal is to improve access, especially in rural and underserved communities where primary care can be harder to find.
