N.S. doctor shortages increases need of pharmacy clinics [Video]

As a record number of Nova Scotians are without a family doctor, the success of pharmacy-led primary care clinics is crucial to providing healthcare in the province.

“Since February 2023, we are hitting around 180 to 185,000 services in these clinics so it’s a large number of services. We have seen a significant reduction in ER visits, we have huge patient satisfaction numbers around accessing these clinics,” says Allison Bodnar the CEO of the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia.

The pilot Project was centre-stage at the Neighbourhood Pharmacies Expo in Halifax on Wednesday.

“We wanted to demonstrate, to show how successful this model has been in engaging our pharmacy professionals to work to their full scope,” says Bodnar.

“We think that it’s phenomenal what is happening here in Nova Scotia,” adds Ontario-based pharmacist, Sandra Hanna.

The model is becoming the envy of the rest of Canada.

“A number of provinces are advancing the scope and expanding the scope of practice for pharmacists, …