Pharmacy Guild of Australia, National President Professor Trent Twomey welcomed the commonsense approach by the federal government.
“Community pharmacists live and work in the communities that suffer these events, supporting patients in rain, shine and cyclones.”
“During the high-pressure times of Cyclone Alfred, the last thing affected patients need is to worry about not being able to access critical medicine because they can’t locate their script.”
Professor Twomey encouraged Australians in the cyclone-affected area needing script repeats filled to locate their closet pharmacy at www.FindaPharmacy.com.au.
The Emergency Measures for Continued Dispensing were first introduced in response to the 2019 bushfire crisis and was subsequently extended throughout the COVID pandemic.
Normal Continued Dispensing arrangements only allow pharmacists to supply a small number of PBS medicines in the absence of a prescription, however the Emergency Measure allows pharmacists to supply most PBS medicines to ensure that pharmacists can meet the needs of their community in times of crisis.
Since the Emergency Measure first ceased in 2022, it has had to be reactivated three times, indicating that there is a need for what is allowed under the Emergency Measure to be made permanent.