Cairns health: New medication distribution centre by API at Portsmith
Reliability and access to medication is set to improve in the Far North as a major distributor unveils plans to expand its Cairns operations.
Cairns
Don't miss out on the headlines from Cairns. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Reliability and access to medication is set to improve in the Far North as a major distributor unveils plans to expand its Cairns operations.
Wesfarmers Health’s subsidiary Australian Pharmaceutical Industries has contracted Cairns’ CSF Industries as its construction partner for the establishment of a new fulfilment centre at Aumuller St, Portsmith.
The new facility is set to be three times larger than the current warehouse at Bentley Park and is expected to open in October 2025.
API executive general manager Doug Swan said the new warehouse would increase the in-stock product range to 6500 items which would include dispensary items, over-the-counter medicines and other general front of store products.
“Wesfarmers Health has a clear mission: to make health, beauty and wellness experiences simpler, more affordable and easier to access,” Mr Swan said.
“And this new facility will help us achieve this mission.”
He stated while the new facility would “postively impact” the timely supply of medication, retail prices were not set by wholesalers.
The new fulfilment centre is expected supply more than 120 pharmacies from Cairns, south to Mackay, inland to Mount Isa and to the tip of Australia including Thursday Island.
The announcement was welcomed by local chemist and national president of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, professor Trent Twomey.
“Wesfarmers is the only national distributor of four that has a facility in Cairns and it’s been operating at capacity for decades,” Proff Twomey said.
“This will mean there is a 50 per cent increase on the number of medications stored here in the Far North.
“So nine times out of 10, you usually get your medication as soon as you present your receipt but there is that one time we have to order it in from a centre, and that means from the south east.
“Hopefully this will mean that number now becomes once in 20; this will have an impact on the reliability and accessibility of essential medicine in FNQ – we’re at the end of the line, end of the Bruce Hwy and every time there is a closure, like everything, your medication is impacted.
“And it’s important to note 90 per cent of medication used in Australia is manufactured overseas – so warehousing and stockholding is a critical part of health infrastructure and we saw how vulnerable it can be during Covid.”
More Coverage
Originally published as Cairns health: New medication distribution centre by API at Portsmith
School issues alert after man chases, lures students
A school in Far North Queensland is on high alert following reports a man chased students and attempting to lure them into his car.
‘Grabbed his dogs and ran’: Airbnb guest lucky to escape house fire
A Cairns Airbnb guest was lucky to escape a blaze with his two dogs unscathed after a home was completely gutted by fire, believed be caused by a phone charger. Watch the video.