KEY FACTS

Key Facts

Pharmacy funding cuts are dramatically going to affect patient care in Ontario.

- We consider them reckless given the size --$750 million a year and the time frame of implementation of only a few weeks.

- $300,000 per pharmacy – that represents up to three pharmacists per store

- We are not against lower drug costs - provided it doesn’t threaten the front-line pharmacy and health care services

- I’m not sure now how I will be able to stock the pharmacy with a full range of medications

- We also want to evolve to another model of funding were we get direct adequate funding for what we do. We are not fighting to keep professional allowances

- $1 of funding for every $3 that is cut, doesn’t work. The math doesn’t work.

- The real cost of dispensing is $14.00 not $7.00

- Professional allowances were designed by the Ontario government – they are audited and regulated. We have advocated for a more direct funding model. PA’s are governed by a strict code of conduct and must be used for patient care.

Pharmacy has been chronically underfunded in Ontario.

- Dispensing fees have only been raised 56 cents in 20 years.

- More than 51% are in fact independent pharmacies.

We negotiated in good faith

- We negotiated with others in good faith – 3 proposals in 9 months saving the government $260 million dollars per year

- The government did not budge in 9 months of negotiating

Pharmacies are the hub of community health.

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- Patient stories – anecdotes

- 2/3 of seniors are on 5 medications or more

- A natural role in triaging patients. Many people don’t have a family physician and we provide a range of services

- The government was highly reliant on us during H1N1 when Telehealth Ontario was overloaded

- Users of pharmacies reflect users of the health care systems – seniors, families with young children, people with chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma and heart disease

- Diabetics use pharmacy 7 times more likely to use a pharmacy in fact they visit a pharmacy on average 46 times a year, nearly once a week

- Prescription volume has increased by 15% - more than three times the increase in pharmacy capacity.