CANADA, October 28 - More than 1,200 Islanders accessed care during the first week of the program that offers health care at 48 community pharmacies making it a huge success across the province. 

The Government of Prince Edward Island launched the Pharmacy Plus PEI program on October 18, 2022 providing Islanders the ability to visit their community pharmacies for 32 common ailments and prescription renewals, free of charge.

“Since the Pharmacy Plus PEI program was launched, we’ve seen more than 1,200 Islanders access health care through their community pharmacies and that’s great news. This program is part of our overall plan to alleviate pressure on other areas of the system, such as physician offices, walk-in clinics, and emergency departments. Based on what we’re seeing in the first week, its proving to be successful in accomplishing that.”

- Health and Wellness Minister Ernie Hudson

During the week of October 18-26, a total of 884 Islanders (of the 1,201) received prescription renewals at pharmacies across the province, making it the most common reason for accessing care at a pharmacy. The other most common ailments that were assessed in that same week include: urinary tract infections; cold sores; hay fever and allergies; skin infections; and heartburn.  

The Pharmacy Plus PEI program is part of the work underway by the Government to rebuild and modernize the health care system to provide increased access to health care services for Islanders.  Community pharmacies, through the Pharmacy Plus PEI program, will be part of Patient Medical Neighborhoods included in the Primary Care Roadmap plan that sees practitioners working to their full scope of practice and in a collaborative team-based environment. 

Media contact:
Katie MacDonald
902-314-3996
katiemacdonald@gov.pe.ca