YOU DON’T NEED TO SEE A DOCTOR FOR THESE COMMON AILMENTS

Ontario is making it more convenient for people to connect to care closer to home by launching pharmacist prescribing for some of the most common medical ailments.

Ontarians can now stop in at pharmacies across the province to receive prescriptions for thirteen common ailments, including rashes, pink eye, insect bites and urinary tract infections with just their health card. This service makes it more convenient to access care by removing a doctor’s office visit and will come at no extra cost to Ontarians.

“Stopping by your local pharmacy for quick and easy access to treatment for some of your most common ailments increases your access to the care you need closer to home,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Expanding the ability of pharmacists to provide care is one more way we’re putting people at the centre of our healthcare system, making it easier, faster and more convenient to access healthcare in their community.”

Pharmacists will be able to offer prescriptions for:

• Hay fever (allergic rhinitis)

• Oral thrush (candidal stomatitis)

• Pink eye (conjunctivitis; bacterial, allergic and viral)

• Dermatitis (atopic, eczema, allergic and contact)

• Menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea)

• Acid reflux (gastroesophageal reflux disease, GERD)

• Hemorrhoids

• Cold sores (herpes labialis)

• Impetigo

• Insect bites and hives

• Tick bites (post-exposure prophylaxis to prevent Lyme disease)

• Sprains and strains (musculoskeletal)

• Urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Allowing pharmacists to prescribe for these common ailments will make it more convenient for Ontarians to receive the care they need, while offering patients more convenient choices for how they access and receive health care. With a large, provincewide footprint, pharmacist prescribing will help increase access to care in rural parts of Ontario.

In addition to providing more convenience, pharmacy prescribing will also help free-up doctors’ bandwidth to provide care for more complex needs, helping to reduce wait times for these services.

A few quick facts:

A common ailment is a health condition that can be reliably self-diagnosed and managed with self-care strategies and/or minimal treatment.

Anyone with symptoms should contact their local pharmacist to confirm whether they provide prescribing services for certain common ailments before visiting the pharmacy.

This change builds on pharmacists’ current knowledge, skills and judgement to recommend over-the-counter medications and allows physicians to focus on the more complex health care needs of their patients.

These changes are being made in partnership with the Ontario College of Pharmacists.

Ontarians can now also visit local pharmacies for Paxlovid prescriptions. Visit ontario.ca/antivirals for more information on eligibility and to find local pharmacies that are dispensing Paxlovid.

“McKesson Canada applauds the Ontario government for supporting minor ailment prescribing services for pharmacists and making health care more accessible and efficient in our province,” said Smita Patil, Vice President Retail Member Relations and Professional Affairs at McKesson Canada. “Our independent pharmacists at Guardian, I.D.A., Remedy’sRx and The Medicine Shoppe have a long history of assisting patients in communities across the province. We look forward to working with the government to help provide greater convenience and choice to patients to obtain quality healthcare services where they need them the most.”