Pharmacists are being added to the Province’s new primary health care strategy to deliver team-based care to all British Columbians.
Minister of Health Adrian Dix announced Tuesday that government is adding 50 new clinical pharmacists as part of primary-care network teams around the province.
“I actually think the value in the Northern communities will be even greater,” said Dix.
“The UBC program they have a strong link in First Nation communities and diverse First Nation communities in the province.”
To support the new development program UBC’s Faculty of pharmaceutical sciences will receive $23 million over three years to manage it.
The team-based clinical pharmacists will focus on working directly with patients with complex conditions, to reduce and manage medication-related problems, such as drug interactions, adverse medication side effects, duplicate medications, and help eliminate unneeded medications.
It’s estimated that more than 600,000 British Columbians have a chronic medical condition of high or medium complexity and that 20% of those over the age of 70 take at least five or more medications a day.
(With Files From Jeff Slack, My Prince George Now)