The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) has called on the Federal Government to heed pharmacists’ warnings ahead of the 2023/24 Federal Budget to be delivered tonight in Canberra.
The Federal Health Minister Mark Butler MP has announced his government’s plan to introduce 60-day dispensing, requiring pharmacists to double the dispensed amount of more than 300 medicines.
PSA ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ President Dr Fei Sim FPS said introducing 60-day dispensing would have far-reaching impacts on both patient care and the pharmacy profession.
“PSA does not support 60-day dispensing as proposed by the Federal Government,” Dr Sim said.
“The plan will only add to medicine shortages and lead to job cuts and some communities losing pharmacy services completely.
“Medicine shortages have been affecting Australian patients for more than 12 months already, and when we start dispensing 60 days’ worth of medicine at once, some patients will miss out altogether especially in rural areas.
“This will significantly impact a patient’s ability to access care.
“Introducing 60-day dispensing without adequate safeguards and guaranteed reinvestment will mean thousands of community pharmacists, pharmacy assistants, and dispensing technicians will lose their jobs.
“Women continue to make up the majority of professional pharmacy staff, meaning job cuts will have a disproportionate effect on the female workforce.”
Dr Sim again called on government to urgently consult pharmacists on the changes, so that pharmacists can continue delivering health services to all Australians, and to avoid any potential unintended consequences of this policy decision.
“Pharmacists are interacting with patients and dealing with medicine shortages every day,” she said.
“It is essential the government listens to pharmacists to ensure no patient or pharmacist is worse off because of 60-day dispensing.
“PSA was not consulted on the introduction of 60-day dispensing and we continue to hold serious concerns for its impact on the viability of community pharmacy in particular.
“Questions remain about how the program will be implemented, and pharmacists need a seat at the table to ensure we can continue delivering the pharmacy services Australians rely on.
“On behalf of all pharmacists, we are working with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia to influence the outcomes of this policy announcement and ensure the best outcome for patients, pharmacists and the healthcare system.
“This means ensuring the viability of community pharmacy sector, protecting jobs, and guaranteeing that we can continue to provide the services that Australians rely on us for,” Dr Sim concluded.
