The Ford government is planning to allow pharmacists to assess and diagnose more conditions like ringworm, warts or shingles as part of a push to loosen the regulations governing various health professionals.
In an announcement on Wednesday, the Ministry of Health said it was kicking off consultations that would also let optometrists bypass physicians in some cases and psychologists prescribe antidepressants.
“By working to expand scopes of practice for additional professions, we are building on our progress to make it faster and easier for families to access the care they need, when and where they need it,” Health Minister Sylvia Jones said in a statement.
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The changes being consulted on consider allowing a range of other regulated health physicians — including speech-language pathologists and physiotherapists — to perform their own X-rays, MRIs and CT scans.
It’s the latest in a string of changes the government has considered to allow pharmacists more powers to bypass doctors’ offices for minor ailments and to move some diagnostics and treatments out of hospitals into for-profit clinics.
In early 2023, the government granted pharmacists the ability to assess and treat 13 minor ailments, including pink eye, hemorrhoids and urinary tract infections. Soon after, in the fall, six more were added to the list.
Last year, the province started consulting on whether pharmacists should be able to diagnose and prescribe for things like ringworm. Now, Jones has issued a directive to give them that power.
Soon, pharmacists will be able to assess and prescribe for:
- acute pharyngitis (sore throat)
- calluses and corns
- headache (mild)
- herpes zoster (shingles)
- minor sleep disorders
- onychomycosis (fungal nail infections)
- otitis externa (swimmers’ ear)
- pediculosis (head lice)
- rhinitis – viral (nasal congestion)
- seborrheic dermatitis (dandruff)
- tinea corporis (ringworm)
- tinea cruris (jock itch)
- verrucae (vulgaris, plantar) (warts)
- xerophthalmia (dry eye)
There are also moves to let pharmacists administer tests for strep throat and to administer a shot to lessen the withdrawal symptoms of opioid addiction.
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