Michelle Daw, Yorke Peninsula Country Times

Yorke Peninsula pharmacists and the pharmacy industry peak group are concerned about the impact of 60-day dispensing on their future.

This comes as medical leaders have thrown their support behind the initiative.

Pharmacy Guild of Australia released a report recommending the policy, due to start on September 1, be delayed to allow the community and pharmacy sector to be properly consulted.

The initiative was announced in April by Federal Health Minister Mark Butler, who said patients could save up to $180 a year if their medication was eligible.

Extended dispensing will allow GPs to issue prescriptions that let patients to receive two months of a select group of medications for common chronic conditions including asthma, cardiovascular disease, depression, diabetes and hypertension.

The PGA report said 60-day dispensing would mean a loss of dispensing fees and incidental retail spending by patients in pharmacies.

This would lead to pharmacies cutting services and up to 5000 jobs, while between 200 and 600 pharmacies would close, with those in regional areas particularly at risk, the report said.

United Chemist Yorketown community pharmacist Kate Nankivell said the reduction of opening hours and job losses were a real risk.

She said as well as filling prescriptions, pharmacies also pro- vided weekly medication packing, free health advice, counselling, vaccinations, baby and maternity services, and support to quit smoking.

“With these new changes and the impacts on viability, this may limit the way these services are provided, particularly in disproportionately affected regional and rural pharmacies, such as those on Yorke Peninsula, due to increased costs of running regional businesses,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Australian Medical Association, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and seven other peak health bodies have issued an open letter, calling on MPs and Senators to put health consumers first and support the reforms.

Rural Doctors Association of Australia chief executive Peta Rutherford said the Pharmacy Guild’s rhetoric did not mention the doubling of the Regional Pharmacy Mainten ance Allowance by the federal government.

The RPMA will be increased to $79.5 million over four years to support the continued operation of around 1093 pharmacies in regional and rural Australia.

The allowance is paid monthly to qualifying pharmacies in areas classified between three and seven under the Modified Monash Model.

Southern YP is classified as six and the remainder of Yorke Peninsula is classified as five.

Ms Rutherford said 60-day dispensing would be welcomed by rural patients who had to travel long distances to a pharmacy.

She rejected claims by the PGA it would endanger patient health and said doctors would decide which patients were suitable for extended dispensing.

Minister attacks ‘scare campaign’

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler has hit back at lobbying by the pharmacy industry against 60-day dispensing, describing it as a dishonest scare campaign to deliberately mislead rural and regional consumers.

“Medicine shortages will not be exacerbated due to this initiative, nor will it directly lead to medicines going into chronic shortage,” he said.

“Eligible Australians will buy the same amount of medicine overall, just with fewer trips to the pharmacy.”

He said the option to prescribe two months of medicine would be a clinical decision made by a doctor and the safety profile of eligible medicines had been carefully considered by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee.

More work needed

United Chemists Port Broughton pharmacy manager Bec Burns said she would like to see more work done on the potential impact of 60-day dispensing on individual pharmacies.

“If this pharmacy were to close, where would local people go to get prescriptions and services?” she said.

“We have a lot of people here who don’t drive and we do a lot for the aged care home here.

“All the other pharmacies are at least half an hour away in Kadina, Wallaroo and Port Pirie.”

Ms Burns said she was also concerned about being able to access enough supplies of medicine under 60-day dispensing and the potential for patients to mismanage their medications.

Pharmacy customer Terence Miller said extended dispensing would be good for patients but not for pharmacy businesses.

“They (the government) should hold off until more work has been done on it,” he said.

This article appeared in the  Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 4 July  2023.