Quebec Order of Pharmacists to suspend license of unvaccinated pharmacists

Following in the footsteps of the regulatory bodies for physicians and nurses, The Ordre des pharmaciens du Québec (OPQ) has decided that pharmacists who are not adequately vaccinated against COVID-19 will have their license suspended as of Friday October 15. The OPQ notified its members of this decision on the afternoon of October 12, noting that effective Friday, pharmacists who have not received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, including those who have no contact with the public, will temporarily be unable to practice. This decision is in the same vein as that of the professional orders of physicians, nurses, nursing assistants and respiratory therapists who recently decided to suspend the license to practice of their unvaccinated members. For example, doctors will not be able to teleconsult or track exam or lab results. In the case of nurses, however, they could be assigned to telepractice tasks if the establishments for which they work allow it. In recent days, the Minister of Health and Social Services has encouraged professional orders of health workers to suspend the practical permit of members who are reluctant to vaccination. Poll: Have you experienced anti-vaccination anger, harassment or violence in your pharmacy? 300 pharmacists not vaccinated As of Friday, 300 pharmacists were not vaccinated, according to a list sent by the Ministry of Health and Social Services to professional orders. According to the OPQ, among that 300, 50 did not practice with the public. The Order did not release details about the place of work of these members or their status (for example, whether they were on maternity leave or on sick leave). As the number of pharmacists registered on the Order's roll was 9,859 as of March 31, the rate of these workers who are not adequately vaccinated is around 3%. Read: COVID-19 vaccine mandates for healthcare workers: a look at their implementation across the country Nevertheless, the number of unvaccinated could be higher since a little more than 800 pharmacists are classified as currently not having reported their status, so the Order does not know if they are adequately vaccinated or not. The Order is encouraging all pharmacists on this list who are indeed vaccinated to send in their QR code in order to regularize their situation. “Since last week, we have received many QR codes for the [unreported]” says Julie Villeneuve, spokesperson for the OPQ. Pharmacists who appear on one of the two lists (not adequately protected and not matched) will receive or have received an email from the OPQ. This article originally appeared in French on our sister website ProfessionSanté.ca

Quebec Order of Pharmacists to suspend license of unvaccinated pharmacists

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