24-hour pharmacy unlikely in the NT, pharmacy guild says

The NT’s leading pharmacist has revealed what is needed to open a 24-hour chemist in the Territory. Find out who it would benefit most and have your say.

A 24-hour chemist for the Northern Territory would require significant consideration and funding before it could open its doors, a leading pharmacy body has said.

And the NT government has no plans to explore the viability of one in the Top End or beyond.

Pharmacy Guild NT branch president Peter Hatswell said he could see the benefits of around the clock access to chemists, but the barriers would have to be weighed up.

“I’ve been called up a few times about opening a 24-hour chemist in Alice Springs, but I don’t know that there’s the population base or lack of services here needed to make a 24-hour chemist viable,” he said.

Alice Springs pharmacist Peter Hatswell said there were significant financial barriers to operating a 24-hour chemist.

“The only way it would happen is that a pharmacy would need to be interested and funding would need to cover the cost of electricity, security, staffing and infrastructure to make the shop more restricted for the overnight service.”

At the moment the latest pharmacies are open until in Darwin, Palmerston and Alice Springs is 9pm and in Katherine they close at 6pm.

One disgruntled social media user took to the Darwin Have a Whinge Facebook page to express frustration at the lack of a late-night option.

“Still no 24-hour chemist in Darwin City? I gotta sit in RDH and wait for the (nebulizer) which is an overdose when all I need is a puffer. I got money, I’m happy to pay, but no, u (sic) gotta see the doctor,” they wrote.

Around-the-clock chemists operate in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane.

There are also pharmacies open all night in the regional centres of Cairns, Ballarat and Bendigo.

Mr Hatswell said if a pharmacy was able to operate all night, Territorians would definitely benefit and be grateful.

“There is always going to be a need — if you open up people will come,” he said.

“Particularly for simple issues like asthma, minor wounds, simple infections like skin and throat infections, pain issues where you don’t have anything on hand, then pharmacy is the place most people would want to go.”

“But if ones not open you’re only option is the hospital and the wait times can be significant and you can kiss your night of sleep goodbye.”

The Victorian government introduced a scheme to allow 24-hour chemists to operate last year.

“The framework providing that kind of service already exists interstate so they wouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel,” Mr Hatswell said.

However, Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said the NT had no plans to follow the footsteps of other states and provide funding for pharmacies to operate at all hours.

“Twenty-four-hour pharmacies are business decisions for the owners following consideration of all the issues including secure after-hours access,” she said.

“We always look at ways to make health services more accessible for the community — In parliament last year we updated the laws to give pharmacists the ability to provide medications to prevent overdoses.”