Pharmacies are making some big changes in response to COVID-19 and they’re seeing their workloads get bigger than ever.
Doug MacQuarrie, a pharmacist in Saint John, said it’s more hectic but he’s taking it a day at a time.
“We’re definitely seeing kind of an increase in our prescription volume and we’re seeing our day-to-day jobs are getting a lot busier. In addition to that there’s a lot more behind-the-scenes tasks going on,” he said.
MacQuarrie said besides the extra sanitizing and cleaning going on, most medical care takes place on telecare now to avoid physical interaction which also reduces the amount of physical scrips.
“Subsequently if a prescription is needed they’ll now either call in or fax in which is great because it prevents that physical contact,” he said.
MacQuarrie said the largest amount a prescription is available in has changed as well.
“Each college came together and mandated that prescriptions only be released in 30-day quantities so that was received with quite a bit of backlash, unfortunately,” he said.
MacQuarrie said some people are concerned they’ll have to pay three times more than usual but he said those people under the provincial drug plan will only pay that first initial copay fee. He said a system is also being worked out for those on private drug plans to avoid extra copays.
MacQuarrie said despite the fears the COVID-19 pandemic has brought up, pharmacists are still there to help their customers as much as possible, and they can still be approached with concerns about medications, including about payment.
