Pharmacists in the province are playing a larger role in health care, particularly in the north.
They have recently been given more authority to prescribe drugs and treat minor ailments, taking the load off doctors — particularly in remote areas where health care is hard to come by.
These men and women are a lot more than simply pill counters. They spent five years in university learning about the human body, how drugs affect the body, and how drug interactions can hurt or even kill the body.
They take their responsibility very seriously.
Geoff Barton runs a pharmacy in Meadow Lake in northwest Saskatchewan. It is the main service centre for many towns and villages the area. Barton says his customers welcome the additional services he is now providing.
“I know they are fairly appreciative of having some of these minor ailments looked after a bit faster,” he says. “You know it’s kind of a convenience factor.”
In smaller communities, it is even more important. In the far north, doctors come and go, staying for a few months at a time, then leave, while another doctor comes in for a rotation. Patients are still getting good care, but they are losing consistency. Barton says while the doctors change, the pharmacist does not.
“Yeah, the pharmacist is the one consistent in that whole system,” he says. “So we have the luxury of seeing the big picture and knowing that person’s health history, knowing what medications that person is on and really keeping on eye on drug interactions.”
This is Pharmacists Awareness Month in Saskatchewan, a chance to educate the public about the increasing number of clinical services pharmacists can provide to improve the care of their patients.