Quebec pharmacists get new powers to prescribe, vaccinate

Increased pharmacist powers The CAQ government is expected to pass legislation Thursday that will allow pharmacists to do more for their patients.

Health care is about to get more accessible in Quebec. The government tabled legislation Thursday that will allow pharmacists to do more for their patients.

Under Bill 31, pharmacists will be able to:

"People already they trust us, and they come for minor issues, minor problems, and when they hear this, because we are so accessible, yes, of course, we will have a lot of people who will consult us to do these services," said pharmacist Daoud Darazi of Westmount Pharmacy.

Quebec is far behind other provinces when it comes to access to health care, said patients' rights advocate Paul Brunet.

"This is the standard elsewhere in Canada and in the modern world. It was about time," he said.

Pharmacists in Ontario, for example, have been providing vaccinations for years. It's long overdue for Quebec, said Brunet.

"Now we're talking about opening access to nurses with more things that they can do, more things that pharmacists will be able to do, not only adjust the prescription but also make some prescriptions."

It will help doctors too, said Darazi.

"When we do vaccinations, we will help doctors to do more important things. I think that our role will complete the role of doctors and not compete with them," he said.