In Canada, self-regulation of health professions is a privilege. Pharmacy regulators play a critical role in ensuring public safety, ethical practice, and legal compliance. Their mandate is to establish clear regulatory frameworks and code of ethics within which pharmacies may operate.
Pharmacy operators are responsible for running their practices effectively and efficiently to safely deliver high-quality patient care within established regulatory frameworks, standards of practice and operation, policies, guidelines, and codes of ethics. They must accomplish all of this while they simultaneously navigate operations, staffing, inventory, and service delivery challenges to meet the unique needs of the communities they serve.
There is concern that regulators may reach beyond their mandate into business practices with broad, sweeping policies on pharmacy operations. In doing so, there may well be unintended consequences that can hinder, innovation, operational sustainability, and access to patient care.
Operators welcome collaborative dialogue with regulators that preserves the balance between regulatory oversight and business management. Dialogue is essential to maintaining a system that both protects the public and allows pharmacies to operate effectively in the best interests of the continuously evolving needs of all parties.