How Pharmacies Are Fixing Canada’s Wait-Time Crisis 

Picture this: A patient with a minor urinary tract infection is told the next available doctor’s appointment is two weeks away. Yet just down the street, a pharmacist could prescribe the needed antibiotics the same day. Scenes like this are playing out across Canada, highlighting a critical gap in our healthcare system and an underused solution hiding in plain sight.

The Wait-Time Problem: Weeks for Basic Care

Canada’s primary care backlog is no secret. In 2023, only 26% of Canadians were able to see a doctor or nurse practitioner within 48 hours of seeking care (down from 46% in 2016) . Most people wait days for an appointment, and about one in 20 report waiting over a month for routine visits. These delays aren’t just an inconvenience; they lead many patients to seek help in overcrowded walk-in clinics and emergency departments for issues that could have been handled elsewhere. A 2014 study found 1.4 million ER visits in a year may have been unnecessary, often for minor ailments like sore throats. Studies show a significant amount of avoidable ER visits could be managed by pharmacists treating minor conditions, yet those patients often end up in emergency due to lack of timely alternatives.

Compounding the issue is Canada’s family doctor shortage. More than 6.5 million Canadians don’t have a regular family physician or nurse practitioner at all. For these patients, “waiting it out” or heading to the ER has often been the only option for basic needs. The result: burnt-out doctors, jam-packed clinics, and patients stuck in limbo for weeks over ailments that could be resolved much faster.

The Missing Link: Unawareness of Pharmacy’s Expanded Role

Why aren’t more patients turning to pharmacies for help? A big reason is simple lack of awareness. Pharmacies today can do far more than dispense pills but many Canadians don’t know the full scope of services now available. Studies have shown the public is generally unaware of the range of roles pharmacists can play in managing health care. 

This knowledge gap translates into underutilization. In one 2023 national survey, only 14% of Canadians reported going to a pharmacist for a minor ailment assessment in the past 12 months, despite the fact that all provinces now allow pharmacists to provide this care. Pharmacists themselves recognize the challenge: one key to easing primary care strain is educating patients on what pharmacies can do. Keeping patients informed about new pharmacy services could significantly reduce unnecessary doctor visits and ER trips, and lessen the frustration of those without a family doctor.

Expanded Pharmacy Services: A New Era of Care

The good news is that across Canada, pharmacies have stepped up with expanded services to help fill these care gaps. In the past few years (accelerated by pandemic pressures), every province has broadened pharmacists’ scope of practice, enabling them to assess patients and prescribe treatment for a range of common minor health issues. Here’s a snapshot of what pharmacists can now do, province by province, and how it’s starting to make a difference:

Ontario: Once a laggard, Ontario now allows pharmacists to prescribe medications for 19 common ailments – from hay fever and eczema to sprains and uncomplicated UTIs. This authority began with 13 minor ailments in January 2023 and expanded to 19 by late 2023. Pharmacists can also administer certain injections (e.g. insulin, vitamin B12) and even prescribe COVID antiviral Paxlovid. The uptake has been dramatic: nearly 90% of Ontario pharmacies are offering minor ailment assessments, with over 400,000 patient consultations provided in the first several months. That’s hundreds of thousands of doctor’s office visits averted, contributing to reduced wait times in clinics and hospitals.

British Columbia: B.C. introduced pharmacist prescribing for minor ailments in June 2023, but with one of the broadest scopes in Canada (pharmacists can treat 21 minor ailments plus prescribe contraception). The public response has been huge, within weeks B.C. pharmacists performed over 43,000 minor ailment assessments. Roughly 79% of those visits resulted in the patient receiving a needed prescription on the spot, without having to see a doctor. B.C. is even going a step further, as of August 2024, pharmacists can order and interpret lab tests to support medication management , expanding their role in patient care beyond minor ailments.

Alberta: Alberta has been a trailblazer in pharmacist scope of practice, granting prescribing authority as early as 2007. Today, Alberta pharmacists can independently prescribe almost any non-controlled medication and even order lab tests for their patients. They manage everything from minor infections to chronic conditions under what was one of the first advanced practice frameworks in Canada. Alberta’s head start has led to innovations like Canada’s first pharmacist-led walk-in clinic (opened in Lethbridge in 2022), showcasing how pharmacists and nurses can collaboratively run primary care clinics. After nearly two decades, Alberta’s example proves that pharmacists can safely handle a broad range of issues and that such empowerment can integrate seamlessly into the healthcare system.

Atlantic Canada: The East Coast provinces were early adopters of an expanded pharmacy role. New Brunswick now leads the country in scope, with pharmacists authorized to prescribe for 34 minor ailments, the most of any province. Nova Scotia similarly enabled pharmacist prescribing for many common conditions years ago and in 2023 launched pharmacist-led clinics to help manage chronic diseases like diabetes. These provinces have also invested in public awareness, and it shows, Atlantic Canadians are among the most aware and supportive of pharmacists’ capabilities. The high uptake in the Maritimes demonstrates how quickly patients will embrace pharmacy care when they know it’s available. A New Brunswicker with, say, shingles or a bladder infection can often walk into a pharmacy and get timely treatment rather than waiting weeks for a doctor.

Saskatchewan: Saskatchewan has steadily expanded what pharmacists can do in both acute and preventive care. As of fall 2024, pharmacists in Saskatchewan can perform on-site rapid tests for strep throat and ear infections and then prescribe antibiotics if needed. This means a parent with a child’s earache can get diagnosis and treatment in one pharmacy visit, avoiding an after-hours clinic or ER. Saskatchewan also launched a Pharmacy Care pilot project in late 2023, enabling select pharmacists to manage and prescribe for certain chronic conditions in collaboration with physicians. Early results indicate reduced physician visits for routine ailments and high patient satisfaction with pharmacist-led care.

Manitoba & Quebec: Manitoba has recently caught up by authorizing pharmacists to prescribe for a range of minor ailments including uncomplicated UTIs, allergies, rashes, and more, to improve access in a province that has historically lagged behind. Meanwhile, Quebec pharmacists have long had the authority to prescribe for various minor illnesses and to renew or adjust existing prescriptions. This has been crucial in Quebec, where physician shortages are severe, pharmacists often act as the front-line for refills and common treatments. 

Across the country, these expanded pharmacy services are already delivering faster care for patients. Importantly, they’re doing so safely and effectively. Pharmacists are trained medication experts and are required to work within strict guidelines, including referring patients to a doctor when an issue is beyond a minor ailment or shows warning signs of something more serious. In every province, there are protocols to ensure pharmacists communicate any prescriptions or significant findings back to the patient’s primary provider, maintaining continuity of care. What we’re witnessing is the evolution of pharmacists from dispensers to true primary care partners, stepping up to relieve a strained system.

Benefits for Patients, Providers, and the System

Tapping into pharmacists’ expanded role isn’t just about shuffling workloads,  it delivers tangible value on multiple levels:

Faster Access for Patients: For patients, the benefit is obvious: shorter waits and more convenient care. Minor ailments that might take days or weeks to address through a doctor can often be resolved within hours at a pharmacy. This can prevent complications from delayed treatment (e.g. a simple infection turning severe) and greatly improve patient satisfaction. Pharmacists are also readily accessible, many communities have a pharmacy open late or on weekends, meaning patients can get help when other services are closed. The data so far is encouraging: Ontario’s pharmacists have conducted hundreds of thousands of assessments that did not require a doctor visit , and in B.C. thousands of people have gotten prescriptions from pharmacists, often on the spot . That’s care delivered much sooner than would otherwise be possible in a backlogged system.

Reduced Burden and Burnout in Clinics: For healthcare providers and clinic owners, integrating pharmacy-based care helps reduce bottlenecks. Fewer unnecessary appointments free up slots for patients who truly need to see a physician. Doctors can spend more time on complex cases, chronic disease management, and preventive care instead of squeezing in minor ailment visits. Over time, this can alleviate the relentless pressure that leads to provider burnout. Imagine a family practice that normally fields dozens of calls for coughs, colds, or rashes each week, if even half of those are managed by pharmacists, the physicians in that clinic gain hours of time to devote to more serious patient needs (or to catch up on overdue paperwork and self-care).

Better Health System Efficiency: On a system level, leveraging pharmacists leads to significant cost and efficiency gains. Diverting patients from emergency rooms and walk-ins saves healthcare dollars, an average ER visit in Canada costs about $300 to the system. If a third of those minor-issue visits are avoided by routing patients to pharmacies, that’s millions saved and ER beds kept free for real emergencies. Research backs this up: one study projected that pharmacist prescribing for minor ailments in Ontario could save the province’s health system tens of millions of dollars per year in avoided costs. Those savings reflect not only dollars but also thousands of physician hours that can be redirected to other care. Furthermore, improving access through pharmacies can reduce the long-term health impacts that occur when people delay care (for instance, untreated minor conditions worsening).

Maintaining Quality and Patient Trust: Importantly, these benefits come without sacrificing quality of care. Pharmacists are highly trained (most new pharmacists hold Doctor of Pharmacy degrees) and are medication experts who have always been a trusted source of health advice. As pharmacists take on more clinical roles, they continue to practice in coordination with physicians. Every time a pharmacist prescribes or makes a therapy change, they document it and communicate it, ensuring the patient’s circle of care is informed. Many pharmacies also use appointment systems for these services, allowing for private consultations that mirror a clinic experience.

Bridging Patients to Timely Care 

Expanding pharmacists’ scope of practice is a game-changer, but only if patients know how to take advantage of it. This is where connectivity and awareness come in. Healthcare leaders are now looking at ways to bridge the gap between patients and these newly available pharmacy services. Part of that means spreading the word in communities and clinics, and part of it means leveraging technology to make finding care easier.

One such solution is digital health platforms that connect patients with the right providers in real time. For example, Medimap has partnered with MedEssist to make it simple for people to book appointments with pharmacists and discover what services local pharmacies offer. Through this kind of platform, a patient or a clinic receptionist can instantly see which nearby pharmacies can treat, say, a minor skin infection or provide a travel vaccine, and slot the patient in for a same-day consultation. Medimap’s network includes over 4,200 clinics, pharmacies, and practices across the country, and has helped more than 12 million Canadians find the care they need when they need it. By integrating pharmacy bookings and information, tools like this not only increase public awareness of pharmacy capabilities but also give clinics a practical way to redirect patients to the fastest care option available.

In the end, solving the wait-time crisis will require every tool in the toolkit. Pharmacists are proving to be a powerful tool for immediate relief. With continued collaboration and innovation, Canadians can look forward to a future where “waiting weeks for care” becomes far less common, because the care they need might be available at their local pharmacy, right now.