Faced with pressure in emergency rooms due to respiratory viruses in addition to a new outbreak of measles, the Quebec Association of Pharmacists Owners (AQPP) is calling on the population to be vaccinated in the province’s pharmacies.
Posted at 1:31 p.m.
Updated at 2:15 p.m.
Katrine Desautels
The Canadian Press
On Tuesday, Quebec public health confirmed that 11 cases of measles had been declared in the Laurentians, Montreal and Laval. This is the second measles outbreak in Quebec since the start of 2024; the first which lasted four months accumulated 51 cases.
Babies under 1 year of age, unvaccinated pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are at greater risk of developing complications from measles. Complications include pneumonia, ear infections, persistent diarrhea, loss of sight or hearing and in 1 in 3000 cases the disease can lead to death.
The AQPP invites adults born since 1980 who have not received two doses of measles vaccine as well as any other person not considered protected to be vaccinated free of charge at a pharmacy.
On the other hand, flu viruses will circulate more and more in the coming weeks in Quebec. The influenza epidemic was declared in the country at the end of December and the peak of the season has not yet been reached. The AQPP reminds that there is always time for Quebecers to protect themselves against respiratory viruses by being vaccinated free of charge by a pharmacist.
These health professionals can also provide antiviral treatment for people who obtain a positive result from a COVID-19 or Influenza virus screening test and who are at risk of complications.
The province’s emergency rooms were still very busy on Tuesday. At the start of the afternoon, the occupancy rate for all emergency rooms stood at 133%. To try to relieve this resource, the AQPP emphasizes that it is possible to consult a pharmacist for several minor conditions such as shingles, allergic conjunctivitis, acne, certain fungi, hemorrhoids, heartburn, Lyme disease, etc.
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Negotiations with Quebec
Pharmacists in Quebec health establishments are considering using pressure tactics… not because their negotiation with Quebec is stagnating, but because it has still not started.
However, their last collective agreement expired in March 2023, almost two years ago.
The association represents 2000 members. These pharmacists work mainly in hospitals and residential and long-term care centers.
In an interview, Linda Vaillant, general director of the association, deplored the fact that negotiations with institutional pharmacists took so long to start. She says she understands that the common inter-union front, which represented 420,000 members, came first. Then it was the FIQ with its nurses.
But pharmacists, she says, are still waiting for their turn to start negotiating. Its members are “angry”, see it as “a lack of respect”, she reports.
They wish not to resort to pressure tactics, but say they are ready to do so, if necessary. And although they would be subject to the provisions on essential services, given their strategic role in health care, “there is a way of throwing sand in the gear”, warns Mme Vaillant.
For its part, the Treasury Council said it considered that “negotiations have indeed begun” with pharmacists in health establishments.
“Discussions are underway. However, they must continue in the appropriate places,” added the office of Minister Sonia LeBel.
Lia Lévesque, The Canadian Press
