Pharmacists across the country have been told to limit prescriptions to a 30-day supply amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic disrupting supply lines and threatening shortages of a variety of medicines.
The impact of the restrictions, showing in the form of increased dispensing fees at pharmacy counters, is a concern for many British Columbians facing unprecedented financial uncertainty, particularly the elderly and low-income people.
Gretchen Dawson is in her early 80s and lives with her husband in an independent senior residence in Kelowna. Between the two, they take about 11 recipes.
Prior to the COVID-19 hiatus, the couple would visit a local pharmacy every three months to refill their prescriptions. It received a 90 day supply and paid a dispensing fee of $ 10 per drug, or $ 110.
READ MORE: Line Disruptions Can Lead to Canadian Drug Shortages
“It’s a $ 10 issuing fee for something I normally only pay once for three months,” she told Black Press Media. “It costs me $ 20 more every three months for each drug.”
Dawson and her husband are retired and dependent on their pensions and old-age insurance. PharmaCare and other insurers usually do not cover the medication dispensing fee.
She explained to her pharmacist that the additional costs were causing serious financial problems, but was advised that the regulations came from the British Columbia government during the COVID-19 crisis and there was nothing they could do to help her.
“The new ruling means you can only donate for 30 days. But my pharmacist knows me, I’ve seen him for 27 years. I have heart failure and haven’t heard any pills, ”said Dawson.
In a statement released March 23, the Canadian Pharmacists Association said drug restrictions are “temporary but necessary.”
“By properly managing inventory today, we reduce the risk that a patient will not be able to access their medication tomorrow and in the future,” the association said.
Supply is already an ongoing problem in Canada, compounded by the pandemic
As Canadians are urged to prepare for drug shortages, the federal government has put together a team to address the problem. However, it is unclear whether there are possible solutions. Canada isn’t the only country affected by the low supply.
According to the Canadian Pharmacists Association, a large majority of the drugs and key ingredients for drugs manufactured elsewhere come from China and India, but COVID-19 has disrupted operations in those countries.
This includes the closure of companies and factories in China.
READ MORE: Don’t Store Medicines, Only Recently Expired Prescriptions Can Be Refilled: BC Pharmacies
And just like panic buying toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and poultry products, a huge rush of people buying over-the-counter drugs has cut the supply of acetaminophen and other pills.
With no end in sight to the pandemic, it is unclear how long a prescription drug shortage could last.
Additional sales fees could add up quickly, older fears
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said during a news conference on Friday (April 3) that the fee levy concerns are being addressed but did not provide detailed information on what specific measures were being taken.
“We’re bringing that up,” said Henry. “We’re addressing this for seniors, for folks on fair pharmacare, so it gets done for most people.”
Dawson said she doesn’t mind getting her medication 30 days at a time, but admitted that she is worried about the additional costs in the short term.
“The government said they were here to help seniors and give them more money, but that’s a joke,” she stammered. “If I take my husband’s pills and my pills and we have to pay an issuance fee every 30 days that’s an additional $ 220 every 90 days.”
Dawson asked her pharmacy if they would void the two-month prescription refill dispensing fee, citing the BC Pharmacy Association’s policy that prescriptions can only be refilled for 90 days at a time. However, the pharmacist said no.
Another problem for Dawson is the fact that she has to make additional trips into public spaces to visit the pharmacy.
“I could stay home and have the pills delivered to me, but they’ll bill me for the medication,” she said.
READ MORE: Homemade masks can prevent the spread of COVID-19 to others, according to BC Health Officer
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca,
jen.zielinski@bpdigital.ca
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