During their testimony Wednesday on the occasion of the study of Bill 10 on health referral agencies, the representatives of the Association of Pharmacists of Health Establishments of Quebec (APES) called on the Minister of Health to consider the telepharmacy services offered by private agencies as independent work and, consequently, to limit their use.
From home, these pharmacists receive the prescriptions on their screen and check that there are no major interactions between the other drugs indicated in the profile, and that is essentially where it ends, explained APES President Julie Racicot.
“The telepharmacy offered by the private sector does not meet the standards of practice, it violates the pharmacists’ code […]. Communication with the nursing staff, the doctors, is practically nil. »
— A quote from Julie Racicot, pharmacist and President of the Association of Pharmacists of Quebec Health Institutions
The hourly rate for this telepharmacy service is sometimes staggering and can reach $150 an hour with less service, said Linda Vaillant, director general of APES.
It’s dramatic! exclaimed United MP Vincent Marissal.
The Bill 10 research highlights the fact that the use of independent labor does not only affect nurses.
Using outside pharmacists has cost the public network nearly $80 million in six years, according to an analysis by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), affiliated with the FTQ. In all, all trades combined, the bill for the public network was $3 billion over six years, Radio-Canada revealed last month.
Bill 10 seeks to limit the use of recruitment services and independent work in the health and social services sectors.
According to the minister’s plan, Quebec wants to eliminate the use of private agencies by 2026.
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However, the APES representatives pointed out in their presentation that the majority of shift repairs in hospitals and CHSLDs are performed by community pharmacists on vacation or during unpaid leave.
The APES recorded more than 6,200 repair days in 2020-2021, which is an estimate of around 18% for all of Quebec.
For the Director General of APES, Linda Vaillant, the use of these convenience pharmacists must remain possible in all regions of Quebec as long as the number of pharmacists in private practice is not increased.
Colleague Julie Racicot said he regretted that 30 out of 110 $40,000 university grants failed to find applicants this year to train institutional pharmacists.
Pharmacist Linda Vaillant added that all stakeholders involved, including the government, must value and promote the incumbent pharmacy in order to improve recruitment in the network.