Ontario Government Announces New Plans to Review Drug System

The Ministry of Health has recently launched a review of the provincial drug program. The Ministry is holding a series of meetings between officials and various stakeholder groups based on sector-focused themes including pharmacy, brand and generic manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers, employers and private insurers.

Ontario’s community pharmacists have been actively participating in discussions with the Ministry. As pharmacists delivering front-line health care services to Ontarians, we believe that any workable solution must make sense for all stakeholders and be guided by the following principles:

• Solutions need to be focused on health services to Ontarians, first and foremost
• The government’s cost pressures need to be achieved
• A viable pharmacy sector in Ontario must be sustained
• Any agreed new framework would need to include a workable transition period

Ontario’s community pharmacists are looking forward to participating in the next round of meetings with the Ministry at the end of August.

Click here to view the presentation, “A Case for Change,” presented by the government on July 10, 2009.