Health care is a team effort. Over the years, the manpower crisis in Hong Kong’s health care system has appeared in news stories and opinion articles . Yet, I do not recall reading about an important solution to some of our most pressing challenges: pharmacists. What follows are two concrete examples of how pharmacists can help. With some leadership, these solutions could be adopted in Hong Kong. One important way to prevent flu is by getting an annual flu vaccine. In many jurisdictions, pharmacists routinely provide flu shots in the pharmacy. This preventive service is very convenient for patients and helps facilitate greater immunisation of vulnerable patients, which can thus reduce doctor and hospital visits. ‘I feel like I could work to death’: weary nurses share tales of toil However, two key barriers currently exist that prevent pharmacists from participating in this public health intervention. First, the influenza vaccine is a prescription drug. Second, there is currently no accepted mechanism for certifying pharmacists to administer injections. Imagine if these two barriers were addressed, through making the influenza vaccine a non-prescription drug and allowing pharmacists to administer the shot. It is easy to see a future where pharmacists and nurses could set up immunisation clinics in the community, such as workplaces and shopping centres, rather than forcing patients to wait for appointments in hospitals and clinics. In my opinion, if the government was serious about tackling the annual flu outbreak , it would begin adopting these types of creative solutions to facilitate – rather than complicate – access to flu vaccine. The current health care system does not recognise, utilise, or incentivise the knowledge and expertise of pharmacists Pharmacists regularly answer questions and provide advice to patients buying medications, but they are not currently included as health-service providers under the government’s Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme. This is despite the fact that, according to recent government statistics, some 75 per cent of those 65 years of age or over had at least one chronic medical condition. Presumably, most of these seniors would take medication to treat their conditions. As people age and develop more chronic diseases, the complexity and number of medications that must be taken increases. Our elderly could really benefit from a pharmacist’s care, yet pharmacist services are surprisingly excluded as part of the voucher scheme. Pharmacists struggle to find jobs amid waning demand Finally, there are many local pharmacists who are readily available to provide care to patients. But I’ve heard many stories of pharmacists looking for work or leaving altogether because of a lack of employment opportunities. It is truly a waste that the current health care system does not recognise, utilise, or incentivise the knowledge and expertise of pharmacists. To me the solution is clear. Let’s get pharmacists off the sidelines, and on to everyone’s health care team. Joseph Blais, registered pharmacist, Hong Kong and Alberta, Canada; PhD student, University of Hong Kong