Ontario government official smears pharmacies in National Post

With talk about “death threats”, “2,000%” rebates and “fat profit margins” in the National Post on October 2nd, Ontario drug system executive officer Helen Stevenson continues her smear campaign against community pharmacies. In doing so, she has revealed her apparent agenda to cut funding for the pharmacy care and services Ontarians rely on.

Every pharmacy owner, pharmacist, technician and staff member should understand what is at stake: access to and quality of patient care, the future economic viability of community pharmacies, our livelihoods and our jobs.

Ms Stevenson seems to be ignoring the fact that pharmacy is currently engaging, in good faith, in a negotiating process with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term care, to create a common plan to reform the province’s funding model. We have come to the table. Pharmacy has even taken the initiative to present the government with a workable formula that protects patient care, reduces drug system costs, and ensures fair, stable and predictable funding for pharmacies.

But while pharmacy works with the Minister and Deputy Minister to design smart solutions, Ms Stevenson continues to seed the news media with claims that malign the reputation of Ontario’s pharmacists and pharmacy community. Let’s take a closer look at her claims.

“Fat profit margins”?

Ms Stevenson’s website includes an assertion that pharmacies have higher margins than other retailers - a fairy tale she seems to like telling to the media. As data from Statistics Canada prove, that’s simply not true. Furthermore, pharmacies have a higher cost structure than many businesses, making their NET earnings even smaller. Does she even understand the difference between gross profits and net earnings? Maybe when you get paid $275,000 taxpayer dollars a year to sit in an office taking potshots at pharmacists, these things don’t matter much. But when you spend long days working intimately with patients, and trying to meet a payroll every month, these things matter a lot.

“2,000 % rebates”?

Does Ms Stevenson really expect people to believe that community pharmacies are receiving professional allowances at that rate – when they’re limited by law and regulation under the Ontario Drug Benefit Program to 20% of a drug’s list price? Furthermore, these allowances must be fully reported and accounted for in order to comply with the rules. I’m not getting 2,000 % of anything. But I can say that, under the current global funding model, without professional allowances I’m losing money on every single prescription I dispense under the ODB.


“Death threats”?

As far as I’m concerned, anyone who makes death threats is a criminal, and an idiot. So prosecute them, whoever they are. But every time Ms Stevenson talks to the media about community pharmacy funding, she talks about death threats and police protection – implying that Ontario’s pharmacists are like little Tony Sopranos putting out hits on people. We’re not a bunch of criminals, Ms Stevenson. We’re health professionals caring for patients and trying to keep our businesses’ doors open. So quit trying to smear us with this nasty implication. It’s getting a bit stale.


Tony Soprano: Not an Ontario pharmacist



Faisal Khawaja: An Ontario pharmacist


To me, it’s obvious that Ms Stevenson has a plan. She is intent on cutting health care funding to pharmacy. So in spite of the Minister and Deputy Minister’s assurances that we have a legitimate negotiating process in place, she’s spreading information in the media that can only have the effect of making pharmacists look greedy and dangerous. Perhaps the fledgling EO’s office was given too much power. Perhaps the Minister’s office and maybe even the Premier are concerned about having another liability on their squad, given the numerous recent scandals and apologies. Loose cannon or not, Ms. Stevenson’s rhetoric is not helpful, and needs to be reined in.

We need to tell Ontarians the truth. That they’re right to trust us as one of the most honest and ethical professions. That we work every day to provide our patients with expert, accessible health care advice and services. And that we won’t stand idly by while a powerful official attacks and insults the integrity of our profession.

Send a message

It’s time to send a message to the Premier that he should make his officials negotiate in good faith, and show more respect to the health professionals on the front lines who actually care for hundreds of thousands of Ontarians every single day.

Send a polite but firm email to the Premier at this address: http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/feedback/