May 27, 2024
Will you protect public dollars from corporate greed?
QUEEN’S PARK – During Monday’s Question Period, MPP France Gélinas (Nickel Belt) called out Health Minister Sylvia Jones for neglecting corporate pillaging of health system dollars.
“Since the government introduced new sources of profit to pharmacies, pharmacists at Loblaws and Shoppers Drug Mart are being directed by their corporation to preform unnecessary MedsChecks to drive corporate profits. What has your government done to ensure that corporations like Loblaw and Galen Weston are not abusing our publicly funded health system?”
In February the CBC reported corporate pressure led Shoppers Drug Mart staff to bill for unnecessary medication reviews.
“Things are so bad that the college of Pharmacists of Ontario did a survey, the results: Shopper’s and Loblaws Drug stores are the 2 workplaces where most of the pressure happens. Pharmacists are being pressured to do more: meds checks, cold call meds check, naloxone dispensing, therapeutic checks and minor ailments assessments and prescribing but do them within limited time.
All of this generates more profits but is against the position statement issued by the College and putting pharmacists’ licenses at risk.
What is the government doing to protect pharmacists’ licenses and guard the public purse? Or is the government happy Shopper’s and Loblaws are raking in more profit at the taxpayer’s expense?”