20.500.12592/kg3q7z
Re: Expanded Scope Regulatory Amendments
12 August 2023
Summary
August 12, 2023 Ontario College of Pharmacists 483 Huron Street Toronto, ON M5R 2R4 Re: Expanded Scope Regulatory Amendments Dear Ontario College of Pharmacists (OCP), Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on proposed regulatory amendments to expand the scope of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to administer additional vaccines and offer treatment options for COVID-19 and influenza. [...] This poses extreme short- and long-term risks to individual and population- level health, in addition to the capacity and sustainability of our health human resources and health system more broadly. [...] In preparation for the upcoming respiratory season and beyond, it is critical that we leverage all available resources and infrastructure to protect the health of Ontarians, communities, businesses, and the economy, while ensuring the resilience of our health system. [...] In addition to this consultation’s focus on the upcoming respiratory season, we encourage you to consider applying a broader lens to the expanded role that pharmacists can play to help bolster health system capacity and sustainability over both the short- and long-term, including through the following recommendations: • Improve access to routine immunizations (e.g., human papillomavirus vaccine, h. [...] On the heels of recent changes expanding the scope of practice for pharmacists to treat and prescribe medications for common ailments, we hope the Government of Ontario will be open and receptive to these proposed regulatory changes.
