Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to follow up on my Member’s statement and ask the Minister of Health and Social Services some questions about the idea of continuous prescriptions. What policies do doctors follow right now in determining how long a prescription will last and how it should be renewed? Is that policy the same under all health authorities no matter how they operate? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department is currently working on the development of a pharmaceutical strategy. It is not moving as quickly as we want. Included in that strategy is the management of pharmaceuticals.
As far as actual policy that the doctors use or any of the health authorities use to dispense or prescribe medicine or drugs to individuals, it should be a standard process right across from the Beaufort-Delta down to Fort Smith.
The Minister mentioned the pharmaceutical strategy. I’m glad that at least they are evaluating it, but will the Minister review the prescription renewal system and make some changes that work better for smaller communities across the Northwest Territories? Do we have to wait for that pharmaceutical strategy? I think it would be implemented far sooner than the whole strategy. Thank you.
If this is an issue, and I believe it is – the Member is bringing this up and we don’t want that to continue – I will talk to the department and we will relay the message to the authorities that we need to make some changes so that this type of thing, where an elder has to leave a community to go get a prescription drug, is a common thing that is renewed all of the time. Making them jump through some hoops in order to get a prescription is not necessary. We will address that issue. Thank you.
I’m glad the Minister is understanding of the issue that is impacting my constituents.
Has the Department of Health and Social Services taken the time to look at the way other jurisdictions handle continuous prescriptions? I believe there will be some useful lessons there. Thank you.
The Member may know that our drugs are handled by Alberta Blue Cross. We have gone to them, looked at them and they’re a large organization that we deal with. They have made recommendations to the Department of Health and Social Services on how to improve our systems, recommendations that will go into the overall pharmaceutical strategy. I’m not sure if that work included a look on their initial recommendations. They looked at the best practices across the country. For sure, when we develop the pharmaceutical strategy, we are going to look at best practices across the country. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was just wondering if our legislation provides for nurse practitioners to also dispense medical prescriptions. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I realize that in the health centres, the health centres can dispense drugs but not prescribe. I think one of the things that nurse practitioners can do is prescribe drugs. I don’t know the details of that right now. I’m a little bit mixed up on the dispensing and prescribing. My understanding is what I have heard from the health centres is that they can dispense from the health centre, but only a nurse practitioner or a doctor can prescribe. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
