‘Scare campaign’: Government rejects rural pharmacy concerns

Regional pharmacists have warned of job losses and reduction of services for small towns ahead of a proposed government change.

Changes to medication dispensing rules have been called a “kick in the guts” for an already strained regional health system, with some pharmacies reporting job losses and a reduction in services.

But the federal government has hit back at claims the looming change will affect the bottom line of remote and rural pharmacies, labelling pharmacists’ concerns a “scare campaign”.

Sara McCarthy, a 28-year-old pharmacist and part owner of the sole community pharmacy in Narromine, said moves to allow patients to buy two months’ worth of dispensed medication for the price of one prescription were “not ideal at all”.

Ms McCarthy said their small pharmacy had already assessed staffing and ways to minimise costs, including losing a nurse, delivery driver, and pharmacy assistant in preparation for loss of revenue.

“I want (the Federal government) to say that no patient, no pharmacy, will be worse off from this new legislation, and until they can guarantee that, they shouldn’t go forward with this,” Ms McCarthy said.

“Pharmacists will lose their jobs … it’s a kick in the guts.”

Narromine Pharmacy in regional NSW has already experienced job losses in anticipation of changes to the way PBS medications are dispensed. Picture: supplied.

A report prepared for the Pharmacy Guild of Australia estimated about 75,000 Australians work in the community pharmacy sector.

The report flagged “substantial and sustained decline in community pharmacy income and profitability caused by the reduction in dispensing frequency”, along with subsequent job losses.

A spokesman for Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said the 60-day dispensing plan, due to commence in September, will “halve the cost of medicines for millions of Australians”, and refuted claims the changes would affect regional pharmacies.

“The fact is the pharmacy lobby group is deliberately misleading regional and rural consumers with a dishonest scare campaign,” the spokesman said.

“The government recognises that rural and regional pharmacies face particular challenges and has doubled the Rural Pharmacy Maintenance Allowance (RPMA) ahead of the introduction of this policy.”

The move, effective July 1, will see communities pharmacies paid more for dispensing PBS medicines, with the average regional centre pharmacy to receive more than $43,000 in a year.

However, ‘very remote community’ pharmacies will receive $12,448.82.