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COLLEGE NEWS
HPPA AMENDMENTS – HOW THEY IMPACT VETERINARIANS
The Health Protection and Promotion Act ( HPPA ) specifies the organization and delivery of public health programs and services that are administered by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care , including disease prevention and control .
The HPPA requires Ontario ’ s 36 boards of health ( also called public health units ) to oversee , provide or ensure the provision of public health programs and services . Certain provisions in the Act and its regulations are relevant to veterinary practice where veterinary practice intersects with public health concerns .
Amendments to Regulation 557 , made under the HPPA , came into effect on January 1 , 2018 . Here is what a veterinarian needs to know about how these amendments will impact his or her practice :
Amendments include :
• Allowing public health inspectors , who are individuals that work for a public health unit and report to a medical officer of health , to detain for examination , confine , isolate , and / or order the euthanasia of an animal which may be rabid ( previously , only a medical officer of health had this authority )
• Adding new requirements for veterinarians and directors of laboratories to report on suspected and confirmed animal cases of certain specified diseases of public health significance ( namely , avian influenza virus , a novel influenza virus , or Echinococcus multilocularis )
The College ’ s Legislative Overview : Mandatory Reporting and the Legislative Overview : Rabies have been updated to reflect these new provisions .
WORK CONTINUES ON MODERNIZING THE VETERINARIANS ACT
The College Council has presented the provincial government with 19 proposed recommendations for modernizing the Veterinarians Act . The College Council began this important work five years ago and will continue for some time yet . At 25 years of age , the current act does not reflect changes in the veterinary profession nor shifts in public expectation . One of the key recommendations put forward is the establishment of a new Act with veterinarians and veterinary technicians recognized under one piece of legislation . Modernization of the Veterinarians Act is essential to provide the profession as a whole with the best tools to protect animals and the public .
Council is continuing to explore further proposed exemptions , or not , to the proposed authorized activities . Discussions continue with pharmacists , chiropractors , physiotherapists and farriers . As well , the composition of Council , given the proposed inclusion of veterinary technicians under the legislation , is under discussion . Further , the need for a permissive clause on the grandparenting of currently practising veterinary technicians and the relevant qualifications requires debate . Any additional proposed recommendations will of course receive broad public consultation .
Consultation
VETERINARY OBLIGATIONS RELATED TO DRUGS
At its March 2018 meeting , Council was pleased to approve a series of draft Professional Practice Standards inclusive of prescribing , dispensing , extra-label drug use and compounding , which set out current and existing practice expectations for veterinarians across all species .
With the privilege that veterinarians have to both prescribe and dispense drugs comes a great responsibility to do so in accordance with the standards of practice of the profession . The importance of the role of veterinarians to both society and animals in the prescribing and dispensing of pharmaceuticals cannot by overemphasized . As these are distinct skill sets , which can also be performed separately , distinct standards have been prepared to highlight the different accountabilities and responsibilities .
These draft documents align with Health Canada ’ s direction that all antimicrobials approved for veterinary use be sold by prescription only .
This set of draft standards is currently open for consultation until May 28 , 2018 . To review the drafts and to provide feedback , please visit :
www . cvo . org / public-consultations
Spring 2018 / 7