By Suzanne Greenwood, Executive Director
The recent closure of the Montville Pharmacy on the Sunshine Coast Hinterland in Queensland marked a turning point in our campaign against the rollout of 60-day dispensing.
No longer are we talking about the threat of pharmacies closing due to the Albanese Government’s measure, unfortunately it’s now happening.
That’s on top of the numerous pharmacies which have had to make the tough decision to cut staff, cut trading hours, or start charging for services which were once complimentary in the community.
In fact, a new survey by the Guild of 1,000 pharmacies revealed almost a quarter have had to change their trading hours because of 60-day dispensing.
Even my local community pharmacy is now closed on Sundays and it’s really sad to see first-hand, the impact this policy is already having even before it is brought in.
Montville’s owner Natalie Lindner said 60-day dispensing was the final straw for her pharmacy which until now was still open despite the recent closure of the local GP clinic.
She said her practice is proof the government has got it wrong.
“The government made a promise that no pharmacy and no community and no patient would be worse off as a result of this policy, but it just simply wasn’t true.
“They made a promise that funding would be reinvested in the community pharmacy sector, but at this stage that has not been done in a way that is equitable,” she told ‘Sunshine Coast News’.
Since then, Health Minister Mark Butler has announced the Regional Pharmacy Transition Allowance (RPTA) designed apparently to help rural and regional pharmacies to transition to 60-day dispensing.
I say apparently because once again the pharmacy sector was not consulted and it’s another sign the government is scrambling to make changes to its policy due to take effect from the first of next month.
I want all community pharmacies to know the Guild is leaving no stone unturned in efforts to postpone its implementation so the pharmacy sector can sit down and talk properly with the government to ensure that 60-day dispensing is only introduced once the viability of pharmacies is assured.
Some efforts to do this are obvious such as advertising, media interviews, phone campaigns, petitions and our posters.
However, the Guild is also working furiously behind the scenes to get an outcome that benefits all of us, not just those in community pharmacies, but patients, especially those in rural and regional Australia.
Those efforts have involved meetings with ministers, shadow ministers, MPs from all parties as well as Senators, plus meetings with the Department of Health.
The Guild’s argument is certainly being heard loud and clear in Parliament House and there are still several options available, but the clock is ticking so efforts to bring about a suitable outcome are being ramped up as parliament resumes from its Winter recess.
The message to politicians is simple; delay the implementation of 60-day dispensing and bring forward the eighth Community Pharmacy Agreement to give pharmacists the certainty they need to keep the doors open for our patients and to keep staff gainfully employed.
The Health Minister keeps saying how “valued” community pharmacies are and that was certainly proved before and after the pandemic.
He now needs to match those words with action before it’s too late to save another Montville.
