Last updated: November 16, 2023
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How pharmacists can help you
In addition to consulting on and dispensing prescriptions, pharmacists can:
What to bring to the pharmacy
Pharmacists are licensed health care professionals. They are bound by the same confidentiality rules as a family doctor or nurse practitioner. Your health information and conversations are private and confidential.
Pharmacists can assess and treat 21 minor ailments such as UTIs, allergies, pink eye and dermatitis. The service is free for B.C. residents when provided in person, in a pharmacy.
Your visit may include:
- a prescription
- advice for self-management
- a recommendation to see another health care provider
Minor ailments self-assessment checklist:
For severe symptoms or medical emergencies, seek immediate medical attention or call 9-1-1.
If your symptoms match one of the minor ailments below, you can book an appointment or visit a pharmacy for an assessment.
- Begins with itching, tingling, or burning sensation at border of lip. A cluster of fluid-filled, painful blisters soon appear, surrounded by redness Blisters then break, crust over, and usually heal within 7-10 days
Read more about cold sores at HealthLink BC.
(includes jock itch, athlete’s foot, ringworm, nail infection)
- Jock itch: Large, round, red patches with bumpy or scaly, well-defined borders, usually on upper inner thigh or groin. May spread to inner leg toward buttocks or toward stomach/abdomen. Commonly itchy, burning
- Athlete’s foot: Commonly occurs between toes but may occur on other areas of the feet. May be itchy, cracked or scaly, inflamed or blistered skin that burns and/or hurts
- Ringworm: Small, round, red patch with well-defined bumpy
