Protecting Patient Care from Political Interference
BC Family Doctors believes that health policy must be shaped by clinical evidence, informed by physician expertise and responsive to community needs. We recognize that while the government plays a role in ensuring public health and safety, it is necessary to include physicians’ voices and develop policies based on mutual agreement.
The Ministry of Health’s Access to Prescribed Alternatives in BC policy direction (December 2025) requires that patients receiving prescribed alternatives take their medication under supervision. This decision excludes critical considerations for patients in rural and remote areas, including Indigenous peoples. Restrictions have overwhelmed many pharmacists, with some planning a withdrawal from the program entirely.
We call on the provincial government to:
- Consult prescribers and clinical advisory bodies before implementing policy that restricts clinical practice;
- Preserve clinician discretion for individual patient care decisions within appropriate, collaboratively developed monitoring frameworks;
- Assess the impact of prescribing policy on patients before implementation, with particular attention to rural and remote communities where access to pharmacy-supervised care may be limited or unavailable; and
- Include Indigenous peoples and communities in the development of health policy, respecting the expertise of the First Nations Health Authority and the voices of those with lived and living experience, from the outset.
BC Family Doctors remains committed to being an active and constructive partner in building a collaborative framework that brings equitable access for patients and guarantees physicians’ voices are heard.
Read our full statement here.