This appears to be a very extensive campaign to lobby the Ontario government.
On behalf of Ontario’s pharmacists, I am writing to deliver an extremely important message and make a request of your Council.
The Ontario government recently announced a proposed cut of $750M to frontline healthcare in Ontario, threatening access to neighbourhood healthcare in all of our communities.
These deep funding cuts will leave many local pharmacies with no option but to reduce service hours, lay off pharmacists and other staff, and reduce health services that Ontarians rely upon, particularly seniors and people with chronic health conditions. Inevitably, some pharmacies will be forced to close permanently.
Pharmacists take great pride in serving the healthcare needs of people in our communities – we are proud to help seniors stay healthy and able to continuing living independently, and to help people with chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease and breathing problems stay out of hospital.
We are proud to help parents with sick children, who call on us when they can’t get to the doctor, or when the doctor’s office is closed in the middle of the night.
We care for shut-ins and work closely with home care providers to ensure multiple medications are properly administered and used appropriately. We run flu-shot, diabetes and cholesterol clinics. We help train patients on the use of their blood glucose monitors, blood pressure machines and asthma inhalers.
Pharmacists also collaborate with fellow healthcare professionals to ensure the best possible patient care. We care for the healthy, the terminally ill and everyone in between.
There has been a 15% increase in the number of prescriptions dispensed since 2006 – Ontarians are aging and there has never been a greater demand for the frontline healthcare services pharmacies provide in this province.
These cuts mean that patients may no longer depend on the same range of health services as we do now, forcing them to make a doctor’s appointment or go to the hospital, making already long wait lists even longer.
On April 27th, the Lindsay & District Chamber of Commerce issued a statement indicating that they were concerned that the Ontario government’s proposed reforms to the prescription drug system could affect many of our local pharmacies.
They indicate that there could potentially be a complete loss of pharmacy services in some smaller communities as pharmacies there struggle to continue to provide the services that local patients have become accustomed to.Consider that two-thirds of people over age 65 take five or more prescriptions.
Consider the importance of having a pharmacist provide counselling and support to what is a growing segment of our population, a role that is heightened in those communities where there may be a shortage of family doctors.
The reality is that our municipalities cannot afford a cut to frontline health care services in pharmacies.
Where we do agree with the government is on the need for the cost of drugs to come down in Ontario. That’s why we were at the negotiating table with the government for nine months. We came very close to finding a solution – one that would have saved the government hundreds of millions of dollars without compromising local access to frontline health care.
But the Government of Ontario chose to put cuts first. Pharmacists want to put patients first.
Unfortunately, the Minister of Health does not recognize or value the frontline healthcare role that pharmacists play in this province.
That is why we need your help. We are asking that your Council considers passing a motion in support of your community pharmacies and the valuable frontline healthcare they provide to your residents. Ontarians deserve better than the massive funding cuts that this government wants to exact.
Stand with us and help us tell the government that cuts to community healthcare is unacceptable.
Thank you for your consideration.Jeff May, Pharmacist
PS: Should you have any questions, please be sure to email [email protected].