Shoppers Drug Mart wants to set up 250 for-profit pharmacy care clinics by 2025
A report by The Globe and Mail delves into the plan by Loblaw to become one of Canada’s largest health care providers. The Loblaw-owned Shoppers Drug Marts already offer travel vaccinations, cholesterol screening, and pharmacist consultations, in addition to selling prescription drugs.
The company wants to set up hundreds of “Shopper’s Health Clinics” in its retail stores, similar to what is already happening in Burlington, Ontario where pharmacists prescribe drugs for 19 minor ailments. Nearly every province has given additional power to pharmacists but the scope varies widely.
Jason MacLean, chair of the Canadian Health Coalition, questions whether profit-driven corporations like Loblaw should be trusted with such responsibilities.
“We’re going to have a company that was involved in break price fixing scandal, and has been boycotted very effectively by hundreds of thousands of consumers because of grocery price gouging” said MacLean to the Globe and Mail on August 9, 2024. “They’re the ones that we’re going to trust to deliver health care in our best interest? Their only interest is profit.”
Opposition is taking shape among physicians as well.
Pharmacist ≠ Physician. Full stop. @ONgov needs to address the root causes instead of applying band-aid solutions that benefit large corporations over patients.
— Ontario Medical Association (@OntariosDoctors) August 14, 2024
Listen as Dr. @DominikNowakMD explains why everyone in Ontario should be demanding a family doctor. #onhealth. pic.twitter.com/E2XxIRMeKv
Loblaw’s broader strategy is to expand its role in Canada’s health care system, following its 2014 acquisition of Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. Loblaw has also invested in tele-medicine, physiotherapy clinics, and electronic medical record-keeping, aiming to make money from gaps in the Canadian medical system.
Jeff Leger, president of Shoppers Drug Mart, and a pharmacist himself says, “There’s a lack of access to physicians… So, people are turning to pharmacists and other professionals to help fill those gaps.”
Loblaw’s expansion into health care has led to abuses-its own pharmacists have reported feeling pressured to prioritize profits over patient care.
Earlier this year, a deal with Manulife Financial Corp. to exclusively deliver some specialty drugs led to public outcry, resulting in Manulife retracting the agreement. Loblaw has since been working to rebuild trust with consumers and patients.
The company plans to open more pharmacy care clinics, with a goal of reaching 250 locations by 2025.
Leger says that pharmacists can handle a between 40-70 per cent of the tasks traditionally managed by physicians, positioning Loblaw as a key player in health care.
