Should Out-of-Province Health Workers Be Able to Prescribe Monitored Drugs in Ontario?
Official title: Proposed Regulatory Amendments to O Reg 381/11 under the Narcotics Safety and Awareness Act, 2010 to complement the proposed expansion of the "As of Right" Rules
Why This Matters
Waiting months to see a specialist? This could help. Ontario faces health worker shortages, and qualified professionals from other provinces often sit idle while their paperwork processes. If you've ever struggled to find a pharmacist, physiotherapist, or other health provider, faster access to out-of-province workers could mean shorter wait times.
What Could Change
Health professionals from other provinces in 16 additional fields could start prescribing and dispensing monitored drugs in Ontario immediately, rather than waiting for full registration. They'd still need to meet safety requirements and keep proper records. This builds on existing rules that already allow out-of-province doctors and nurse practitioners to do this.
Key Issues
- Should out-of-province health professionals in 16 additional fields be allowed to prescribe monitored drugs before completing Ontario registration?
- What safety and record-keeping requirements should apply to these out-of-province prescribers?
How to Participate
- Read the proposal summary to understand how the "As of Right" rules would expand to more health professions.
- Submit your feedback using the comment form by the deadline.