UPDATE: BILL 16

On Tuesday, the Liberal government once again voted for a $750M cut to front-line healthcare by allowing the third reading of Bill 16 to pass.

In the last 4 weeks, pharmacists have publicly called on Health Minister Deb Matthews to come back to the negotiating table and work with pharmacists to find a solution that would find all the savings that the government was looking for without compromising local healthcare.

Pharmacists have received no response to date.

While pharmacists have read in recent media reports that there has been a delay in the implementation of the proposed regulations, some reports indicate that the extension is only for a one-month period, others suggest that it is a one-year extension.

Pharmacists and the Coalition have not had any formal notice of the actual duration of this extension.

Whatever the exact extension, this is not enough. We need the government to stop massive healthcare funding cuts that directly impact our local communities and our ability to service those communities.

We are once again calling on the government to come back to the table to negotiate with all pharmacy stakeholders during this extended consultation period.

To be clear, we have said from day 1 that we want to work with the government to eliminate professional allowances, bring down the cost of generic drugs and find a solution that will not compromise front-line healthcare.

UPDATE: BILL 16