REGINA—Saskatchewan’s provincial auditor has tabled a report that calls for the Health Ministry to pay closer attention to how highly addictive opioids are leaving pharmacies. Judy Ferguson took a microscope to how the ministry monitors prescribing and dispensing of opioids. She says codeine, hydromorphone and fentanyl prescriptions patterns are higher in Saskatchewan than national averages. Ferguson identifies gaps in a program that tracks how such drugs are prescribed and monitored. She says the Health Ministry doesn’t actively watch how opioids are dispensed from the province’s 385 pharmacies, so doesn’t know if pharmacies are contributing to the ongoing opioid crisis.

Source: thestar June 06, 2019 16:41 UTC