Personal care homes in Manitoba will soon be getting their medications from one source.

Up until now a number of rural pharmacies had contracts to provide medications to care homes. In the Southern Health region, there were five such pharmacies.

Last year, Manitoba RHAs issued a request for proposals on providing pharmacy services to PCHs and ended up selecting MediSystem Pharmacy Manitoba Limited.

MediSystem Pharmacy is a Shoppers Drug Mart company which provides innovative pharmacy services for residents and patients in long-term care.

"It will standardize the quality of pharmacy services to PCHs and it implements standardized services related to policy, procedures, contracts, pricing and packaging technology, which will ensure efficiencies in the long run," said Jane Curtis, CEO for Southern Health-Sante Sud."

While the RFP process was open to all pharmacies large and small in Manitoba, the new arrangement will essentially eliminate a business opportunity for rural pharmacies.

"The new system will be in place for the next three to 5 years and we're currently in a transition process and are looking at April as a start date for the new contract," said Curtis. "We want to ensure that there will be a seamless transition so that residents and families will not be affected by this move and will continue to receive pharmacy services as they always have."

Curtis expressed a word of 'thanks' to their current pharmacy providers for their services over the past number of years.

"I want to also thank them because we're seeing a collaborative approach in this transition, and that's very much appreciated."