The Ontario government is considering letting pharmacists administer more than just the flu vaccine, Health Minister Eric Hoskins says.

Hoskins said this week that since that vaccination program has been successful, “the issue is should we expand that ability to include other vaccinations, travel vaccines for example. That’s something the ministry is looking at.”

The minister said the Ontario Pharmacists Association raised the matter with the ministry.

“I think all Ontarians would agree we have had tremendous success in the decision that was taken a few years back to allow pharmacists to vaccinate against the flu virus so we are looking at whether or not we should provide that opportunity with a broader array of vaccinations,” he told reporters at Queen’s Park.

This flu season so far pharmacists, who first started administering the vaccine in 2012, have given almost 900,000 shots.

Allan Malek, senior vice-president of professional affairs for the Ontario Pharmacists Association, said the organization has been lobbying since about 2009 for the right to administer a greater variety of vaccines.

Malek said Ontario pharmacists want “to do what their colleagues are doing in many other jurisdictions, notably the U.S. . . . where pharmacists effectively own the immunization space . . . whether it’s flu shot, whether it’s travel vaccine, whether it’s shingle (vaccine).”

“That is the most accessible point of care. Pharmacists have been trained in . . . every single state in the U.S. And our advocacy is that we should be able to do the exact same thing,” he told the Star.