Estonia’s healthcare system faces the challenge of ensuring necessary healthcare services for the population amid a shortage of doctors and nurses. The draft proposal sees increased involvement of pharmacists in healthcare services as one solution. This approach would help alleviate the workload of other healthcare professionals and improve service accessibility.
According to Health Minister Riina Sikkut, redefining the roles and responsibilities of existing professions is necessary in light of a growing labor shortage to ensure people can access care close to home. “Pharmacists are educated professionals who can provide health advice, and often, a pharmacist is the first person approached with health concerns. We could now empower pharmacists to perform evidence-based preventive actions,” explained Minister Sikkut.
Ly Rootslane, head of the Estonian Proprietary Pharmacies Association, noted that the Estonian legal framework currently sees pharmacists narrowly as medication preparers, dispensers, and advisors. “Pharmacists have a comprehensive medical education, and the pharmacy is the most accessible healthcare facility. Many countries have effectively utilized this combination: pharmacists provide counseling, assess health indicators, and offer services that prevent diseases. In Estonia, a pilot project distributing home test kits for cervical cancer screening in pharmacies successfully increased participation in screenings. We are pleased that Estonia plans to finally give pharmacists more opportunities to help people,” said Rootslane.
Kaidi Sarv, chair of the Estonian Pharmacists’ Association, added that assessing prescribed medications in pharmacies and focusing on their correct usage helps patients recover faster, prevents the worsening of diseases, and avoids complications. “Ultimately, we can achieve lower treatment costs and more effective healthcare,” Sarv concluded.
According to the proposal, pharmacies will initially offer preventive services such as distributing home screening test kits, smoking cessation counseling, and vaccinations. Additionally, medication usage assessments may be offered as e-consultations. Future plans may include allowing pharmacists to prescribe medications for certain chronic conditions. Expanding pharmacy services would require pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to have access to and the ability to update patient health information. Implementing these changes will involve developing IT systems, clearly defining the roles of various healthcare professionals, establishing new service standards, and providing additional training for pharmacists.
Feedback on the draft proposal is expected from stakeholders by the end of October.
Source: Med24