The Newton location of Shoppers Drug Mart is now home to a Pharmacy Care Clinic, first of seven for the chain in Surrey.
In a setting not unlike a doctor's office, people can see a "health care concierge" before entering one of three private consultation rooms, for on-the-spot prescriptions covering certain ailments.
In B.C., following changes to regulatory standards announced in June 2023, pharmacists can now prescribe medications for minor ailments and contraception.
The Shoppers retail chain launched its first Pharmacy Care Clinic in Kelowna last year, and now B.C.'s second such facility is in Surrey, on King George Boulevard at 73 Avenue.
Thursday's grand-opening event (March 27) heard praise from Josie Osborne, B.C. Minister of Health, among political and corporate backers of the initiative.
Sukhvir Seehra, associate owner and pharmacist, says Shoppers' in-store clinics will help reduce mounting pressure on B.C.'s healthcare system, especially in cities like Surrey where there's a shortage of family doctors.
"Right now, for every 100,000 residents in Surrey there's only 59 doctors, whereas for the rest of the province for every 100,000 residents there's 112 doctors," said Seehra, who also owns Shoppers in the Panorama area.
"Surrey is one of the fastest growing cities in B.C., so we don't have the ability to serve everybody (at doctor's offices and clinics). This is just a way for someone to get help in a way that hasn't been available before. The challenge right now is that many patients don't understand that they can get prescriptions at the pharmacy, so we're kind of educating the public right now about what's possible."
Pharmacists in B.C. can prescribe for 21 minor ailments such as acne, pink eye, rashes, hives, menstrual pain, indigestion, nicotine dependence, hemorrhoids, headaches, shingles and urinary tract infections. The fill list is posted on the B.C. government website, or search "Pharmacy Services in B.C."
Since 2023, the B.C. government says close to 409,000 people have been treated for such ailments or received free contraceptives from pharmacists.
"It's quite a bit of a different experience what we're doing with the health care concierge," Seehra said of Shoppers' clinic model.
"It has blood pressure-monitoring machines and a bed like you'd see in a doctor's office. There's devices that can do an A1C test, for diabetes, and Lipid panel test, for cholesterol, strep throat tests. The pharmacist there will do an assessment in a private space where, you know, it's quiet, it's safe, there's no judgment, and then they'll decide if a prescription is appropriate for you and then prescribe it to you. That can actually be picked up by the dispensary if they choose to, all in one visit, no need for a doctor's appointment."
Getting in-pharmacy prescriptions is relatively new in B.C., but in Alberta, Seehra said, "pharmacists can pretty much prescribe for everything except for narcotics, and basically we're starting with minor ailments in B.C. It's a start."
