Midnight Pharmacy owner slams Malinauskas’ plan for three 24/7 facilities
The owner of an iconic 30-year CBD institution has hit out at a new government policy that he says will “devastate” his business.
SA News
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Iconic Adelaide business Midnight Pharmacy is facing fears of forced closure following Premier Peter Malinauskas’ 24/7 pharmacy announcement this week, according to its owner.
While much of the state has welcomed the significant enhancement to local healthcare accessibility announced on Sunday, Midnight Pharmacy owner Peter Angelos said he’s “devastated” by what it will mean for business.
Mr Angelos will be competing with two Chemist Warehouse facilities and a National Pharmacies outlet offering after-hours services next year.
“It’ll kill my business,” he told The Advertiser.
He claimed Adelaide lacks the demand for three 24/7 pharmacies, and is certain the increased services, buoyed by $2.5 million per year in state government funding, will send him “down the gurgler” despite surviving through Covid and the cost of living crisis.
“It’ll certainly affect our business, and we’ve been here for the last 30 years,” he said, asserting around-the-clock pharmacy services weren’t viable in the state.
“It will impact all the single owner pharmacies.
“We’ve attempted a couple of times to stay open (24/7), and after about midnight there’s hardly anyone around.
“I just don’t think we’ve got the population to support it.”
‘No transparency’ in tender process
Selected through a tender process, the three all-hours facilities will be strategically located in northern, southern, and central Adelaide, including Chemist Warehouse at the Saints Shopping Centre in Salisbury Plain (North), Chemist Warehouse in Clovelly Park (South), and National Pharmacies in Norwood (Central).
The announcement comes amid claims of staff underpayment at Chemist Warehouse Clovelly Park, which is awaiting the outcome of a tribunal hearing where workers alleged they were owed $45,000 after they were not paid in line with their new duties.
Mr Angelos said there was a “lack of transparency” surrounding funding provided by the government and that was why he did not submit an application.
“I made a couple of attempts to contact the offices of the government tender, but I wasn’t provided with accurate information about what the funding would be,” he said.
“I couldn’t see how we would be able to afford it.
“I only found out this week from one of my staff members that it was $2.5 million.”
He said learning millions of dollars were being allocated to three major group pharmacies was “a kick in the guts”.
“It’s a political stunt to use $7.7 million of taxpayer’s money to fund corporates who are providing services that already exist, and who will basically be funded by us now, instead of supporting pharmacies that were already open until midnight,” he said.
’No legal impediment’: Chris Picton responds
Responding to Mr Angelos’ concerns, Health Minister Chris Picton reiterated the State Government’s intentions in extending pharmacy services.
“The State Government is delivering on its election commitment to support three, 24/7 pharmacies because there is a need in the community,” Mr Picton said in a statement.
“There is no legal impediment to pharmacies operating 24/7, but currently SA has none.
“When pharmacies are closed, individuals and families in urgent need of advice or medication have nowhere to go other than our hospital emergency departments.”
He added that all pharmacies within the tender requirements were encouraged to submit applications.
“The three 24/7 pharmacies were selected through an open, competitive tender process and all pharmacies which met the tender requirements were encouraged to submit their interest.”
Midnight Pharmacy: 30 years in SA
Once the only one of its kind in South Australia, offering prescription-filling services and medical products from 9am to 12am, 7 days a week, Midnight Pharmacy has commandeered a somewhat mysterious city presence, complete with a cafe and assortment of unusual goods for sale.
Shelves of handbags, fake flowers and dinnerware fill the expansive space, along with pharmacy staples of makeup, medical products, gift cards and perfume.
Previously located on West Tce, the business relocated to its current location on the corner of Wakefield and Frome St in 2013 amid safety and security concerns as “fights” in the west end of the city continually broke out, Mr Angelos explained.
But the move wasn’t without its complications, with push back from neighbouring school Christian Brother’s College given the pharmacy’s commitment to providing treatments for drug addiction, including methadone.
While several pharmacies around Adelaide now offer drug replacement medications and separate areas for safe treatment, Midnight Pharmacy was the first.
Mr Angelos himself spearheaded the Community Pharmacy Program in his past role as head pharmacist for Drug and Alcohol Services SA (DASSA), a framework which is now known as the Community Pharmacy Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence (MATOD) Program.
According to SA Health, about half of the 485 registered community pharmacies in South Australia are part of the MATOD program.
Any community pharmacy is eligible to be a MATOD program provider.
The three new 24/7 pharmacies, however, are not currently part of the MATOD program.
An SA Health spokesperson said: “While participation numbers in the MATOD program changes regularly to meet community needs, there is currently no identified unmet demand in metropolitan areas.”
Any community pharmacy is eligible to be a MATOD program provider.
In 2018 the company was ordered to pay a worker for superannuation, public holiday loading and annual leave.
After serving the community for 30 years, Mr Angelos said his business being forced to close would be a huge loss for Adelaide.
“We’re not a discount pharmacy, but we’re open every single day of the year,” he said.
“What we have been offering is what people have been looking for: prescriptions dispensed until midnight every day of the year.
“The investment we’ve made into this business has been a lifetime.
“We’ve got second generations of people coming to us, saying ‘when I was a baby my mum and dad would come here for Panadol’.
“The hospitals will be sending people to the three new centres now, being government-run, so it’s going to be an uneven playing field.”
New 24/7 pharmacies part of Malinauskas promise
The 24/7 pharmacy initiative is part of a broader election commitment by the Malinauskas Government to enhance pharmacy services.
The extended hours will see uncomplicated UTIs in women treated with ease, as well as provide resupplied contraceptive pills.
The state government is also in the process of working with the pharmacies to provide mental health first aid training to pharmacists, expand access to palliative care medicine, access to vaccinations and allow pharmacists to conduct medication reviews for people leaving hospitals with complex health needs.
Extended pharmacy opening hours are an effort to reduce unnecessary hospital emergency department visits by providing timely access to medicines, health advice, and pharmacy services at all hours.
Currently, emergency departments are the only walk-in health facilities available 24/7.
Each facility will have a pharmacist on staff around the clock to offer expert advice and professional services, including prescription dispensing.
Additionally, the pharmacies will implement security measures, including on-site guards during the night.
Premier Peter Malinauskas said in his announcement: “Having access to a pharmacy around the clock is going to be a game-changer for South Australian families.”
He emphasised sickness can strike at any time, and having immediate access to medication and trusted health advice is “crucial”.
Health Minister Chris Picton said limited after-hours pharmacy access had been a significant concern for many families, often leaving them no choice but to visit emergency departments. He said the pharmacies would be a “huge benefit” for families across Adelaide while alleviating pressure on hospitals.
The new 24/7 pharmacies will begin operating on this schedule starting from February 2024 at National Pharmacies in Norwood, with the two Chemist Warehouse locations to follow in March.
– With Douglas Smith, Emily Jarvis and Mitch Mott
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