A computerized system to track painkiller prescriptions in Nova Scotia may not be in place for another year.

Officials with the Department of Health are testing the software now, deputy minister Cheryl Doiron told a legislative committee Wednesday.

OxyContin is like heroin when crushed and injected
OxyContin is like heroin when crushed and injected

Although the system is expected to be in the final test stage by early summer, Doiron said it will be another few months before all pharmacies are hooked up.

The plan is to start tracking narcotics first, with other drugs added later. In three to five years, doctors and pharmacists should be able to know each drug a patient is taking and buying.

"If we see that an individual is having prescriptions filled in various areas of the province or from various physicians or whatever, then we will be in a position to provide the information so the appropriate follow-up can occur," Doiron said.

There have been a number of deaths in Cape Breton linked to prescription drug abuse, particularly involving the narcotic pain reliever OxyContin.

Painkiller abuse has also been blamed for a rise in crime on the island, as users look for ways to feed their addiction. At one point, one OxyContin pill sold for $80 on the street.

A community task force looking into the problem recommended a computerized drug-tracking system as one way to prevent painkillers from ending up in the hands of drug dealers.

John Malcom, the community group's chair, said he's "really pleased" the province is developing such a system.

"Without improved information and faster, more timely information, the diversion of some of the medications that have caused us so many problems in our communtiy can't be addressed," he said.

But Dave Wilson, Liberal MLA for Glace Bay, one of the areas hardest hit by the prescription drug problem, accuses the province of dragging its feet on the issue. He wants to see an electronic tracking system in place now.

"Every minute, every hour, every day that goes by that that program is not in effect means someone else is going to die from prescription drug overdose," Wilson said.

The province introduced a drug-monitoring program several years ago, requiring doctors to send one copy of every prescription they write to a central registry. However, critics complained the paper system was too cumbersome and slow.