If New Brunswick pharmacists are required to take on some of the duties now performed by doctors, they'll expect to be compensated for it, warns Moncton pharmacist John Staples.

Health Minister Mike Murphy indicated on Monday that New Brunswick pharmacists will soon be given more professional responsibility, which could include the power to prescribe some medications.

"There seems to be a consensus that a larger role for pharmacists is needed. There's no question," Murphy said Tuesday.

Staples says carefully supervising the dispensing of pills and ointments is part of his job. He also meets regularly with patients to consult about the pros and cons of various treatments.

But he doesn't write prescriptions, he fills them.

In Alberta, the role of pharmacists changed last year as the provincial government moved to cut doctor costs by giving pharmacists the ability to prescribe many different types of medication.

If that happens in New Brunswick, Staples says it could have an impact on pharmacists' education and workload, and the government should expect to pay pharmacists for adopting part of the physician's traditional role.

"The pharmacist is your doctor, basically, and he or she is going to have to look after that patient, and all the responsibility that goes with it."

The New Brunswick College of Physicians and Surgeons isn't commenting right now. Spokesman Ed Schollenberg says it's waiting to see exactly what the government has in mind.

The health minister is promising to consult with physicians and pharmacists before making any final decisions, and says legislation could be ready as early as this fall.