Saskatchewan to expand scope of care for pharmacists

Pharmacist Denis Boissinot checks a bottle on a shelf at his pharmacy Thursday, March 8, 2012 in Quebec City. (Jacques Boissinot / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

The Government of Saskatchewan and the Pharmacy Association of Saskatchewan (PAS) have developed a three-year agreement with the aim of sustaining pharmacies, optimizing scope and modernizing programs.

The new Pharmacy Proprietor Agreement funds services like the dispensing of medications as well as minor ailment diagnosis and treatment.

It is a part of the province’s Patients First Health Care Plan.

“Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and assistants put patients first by delivering high quality care in more than 100 communities across the province,” Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said in a news release Tuesday.

“As one of the most widely and readily available access points for primary care, pharmacies play a key role in ensuring patients receive the right care in the right place at the right time.”

The new agreement came into effect May 1, 2026 and provides a total funding increase of $13.8 million. The investment constitutes a 5.4 per cent increase for pharmacy sustainability and a 3.7 per cent increase for scope optimization and service enhancement – representing a 9.1 per cent total increase.

The deal will have a phased implementation over the three-year term.

“Expanding the scope of practice for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians fills in some of the gaps in healthcare, particularly in rural, small-town Saskatchewan,” PAS CEO Michael Fougere told CTV News.

“It really does improve access to health care, and the quality of health care, for people.”

The contract further expands strep throat and ear infection services, allowing broader availability and timely access to care in the community.

Additionally, there is an expansion of the Saskatchewan Medication Assessment Program to more residents and commitments to support minor ailment prescribing by pharmacists. There is also an expansion to chronic disease management services by pharmacy professionals.

The Government of Saskatchewan and PAS will also work collaboratively to review and modernize policy to improve patient access to care.

Fougere says 75 pharmacies across the province will see an expanded scope of practice, but he hopes more will join the program.

“[Pharmacists] can do a lot,” he emphasized. “I’m pleased the government recognizes that in their patients-first strategy, they recognize pharmacists being able to do just exactly that.”

Fougere again emphasized the program’s benefits to small towns and rural areas.

“These services I’m talking about provide quality care, where [they] can be diagnosing and providing support for patients where they would not otherwise have that,” he added.

PAS hopes to see scope expansion grow to allow pharmacists more allowance within the health-care sector, including in aiding with chronic disease and medication management for varying conditions.

The government says there are more than 1,400 practising pharmacists and pharmacy technicians working in 433 licensed community pharmacies across Saskatchewan.