Stop Cuts Student Tour

I am currently part of a tour to educate communities about the dreadful consequences of tremendous cuts on healthcare funding - $750 million from all Ontario pharmacies in total! The Ontario provincial government believes that it will decrease healthcare costs and decrease the deficit at the same time. Furthermore, it was claimed that professional allowances, a significant and completely legitimate portion of the income that all community pharmacies make, were main contributors to driving generic drug prices upwards. Little do people know that these costs, while reducing some of the genetic drug prices, will have dramatic consequences in the pharmacists’ ability to keep their doors open and provide sufficient time and resources in educating their patients of their respective communities. This is especially the case for independent pharmacies, which account for over half of the pharmacies in Ontario. There would be less opportunity for the pharmacists to showcase their abilities in various FREE services, with counselling patients, teaching patients how to use various devices for their therapies, providing free delivery services to patients in need, answering questions and refilling medications automatically only a few of the services that pharmacists provide. Moreover, there would be fewer pharmacists around and possibly even fewer pharmacies who can maintain themselves out of the red.

What does this mean to patients? It means fewer opportunities to gain healthcare access from pharmacists, more likelihood of taking medications improperly, more patients driven into hospitals and doctors’ offices and thus increasing wait times, more patients sick from both side effects and untreated conditions. What is the end result? You have more patients requiring therapy (which requires more money) and a sicker population (fewer people being able to contribute to the workforce fully – less money into the country). In other words, you have greater healthcare costs with less money to pay for it. Really, Ontario… Is this what you want? Is this what the government had promised when they wanted to decrease healthcare costs?

Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for decreasing healthcare costs and decreasing generic drug costs. However, this is NOT the right approach, even if it has good overall intentions. As a pharmacy student, I feel the need to voice out my opinions and let people know the real story before we walk the path towards a sicker Ontario. Together we as pharmacy students must stand united and become a stronger voice!

What is our current mission? STOP CUTS TO PATIENT CARE!

NOTE: As another perspective to our tour, please also read the blog of the lovely Zenah, a dedicated pharmacy student in my class! Her entries will also give great insight on our efforts to advocate against healthcare cuts on a day-to-day basis!