On June 20, 2016 / News
Pharmacists Manitoba wrote congratulatory letters to Premier Pallister, Minister Friesen (Minister of Finance), Minister Goertzen (Minister of Health, Seniors and Active Living), and Minister Wishart (Minister of Education and Training) on May 3, 2016. This lead to a very positive meeting with Kelvin Goertzen, Minister of Health, Seniors and Active Living on June 7, 2016. The meeting also included Deputy Minister Karen Herd, and Assistant Deputy Minister Bernadette Preun and provided an opportunity to promote the primary care role of pharmacists, enabled through regulation, and openly consider how pharmacists’ services offer solutions to improving health care access and service delivery. The role of pharmacists with medication reviews, med recs, lab test ordering, PCH pharmacy services contract, de-prescribing, reducing ER pressure, reducing rural physician pressures, working within community interdisciplinary teams, mental health services, education and counselling, assessment and prescribing services, and the benefit and potential for electronic health records to enhance the services and expand the impact of community pharmacists was also discussed. The meeting was productive and Minister Goertzen confirmed that Pharmacists Manitoba would have representation on the ER Wait Times Task Force that is in development.
We thank our member, Mr. Hans Epp, Steinbach, for hosting Minister Goertzen for a Pharmacy Tour during our Public Affairs Campaign. Minister Goertzen appreciated learning more about the role of the pharmacist during his tour with Mr. Epp and provided fertile ground for our discussion with the Minister, Deputy Minister and Assistant Deputy Minister. All in all, this was a great start to building a relationship with the new Government of Manitoba and new present new opportunities to expand pharmacists’ role and value in health service delivery. We are so proud of our members’ and stakeholders’ active engagement with political candidates during our campaign. HealthcareOnDemand™ was a success. Pharmacist and pharmacy participation with politicians helps place pharmacists firmly in the forefront as a sustainable solution for improving health service delivery to Manitobans.
What’s next? Ensuring Pharmacists Manitoba representation on Premier Pallister’s directive to Minister Goertzen to strike a Wait Times Reduction Task Force. Overall, we will identify the importance of engaging pharmacists in discussions with every task force and working group where innovation in health care would benefit from the expanded professional role of pharmacists. We will continue to promote pharmacists to politicians in the fall, 2016 when a Pharmacists Manitoba Lobby Day will take place. Communicating with politicians and their support staff is integral to promoting the services that pharmacists offer through active demonstration. We welcome all our members to be active during Lobby Day and if you are interested in participating as a service provider and educator, please contact our office so that we can share more information with you about this great opportunity and strategic day.