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Criticism of 60-day dispensing policy by Albanese Labor government and need for regional pharmacies protections

The Nationals' David Littleproud criticises Labor for their 60-day dispensing policy and welcomes the government's move to bring forward the Community Pharmacy Agreement to prevent pharmacy closures, especially in regional areas.

By news@gippsland - 1st September 2023 - Back to News

Leader of The Nationals David Littleproud says Labor's announcement to bring forward the 8th Community Pharmacy Agreement is an acknowledgement their 60-day dispensing policy was going to adversely impact community pharmacies and health outcomes, particularly in regional Australia.

David Littleproud highlights the unintended consequences of the policy on pharmacy viability and emphasises the importance of careful consideration in healthcare decisions

Pharmacy agreement victory

Mr Littleproud said The Nationals have been vindicated by the government's announcement today of bringing forward the next pharmacy agreement, which The Nationals had been calling for, for months, to ensure pharmacies didn't close, particularly in regional Australia. "Today's decision is a win for pharmacists and communities but an acknowledgement Labor got this wrong, where we could have seen communities without a pharmacy at all."

"60-day dispensing will now be dealt with under a Community Pharmacy Agreement and we welcome this move and what we have been calling for, but the devil will be in the detail. Changes to the PBS, allowing Australians to double the amount of medicines they could purchase, from 30 days to 60 days, had unintended consequences, which was a fundamental change to a pharmacy business model, effectively making some unviable," Mr Littleproud said.

Regional pharmacies at risk

Mr Littleproud added, "We all want cheaper medicines but Labor's policy was poorly thought through and rushed and regional health would pay the price. The Nationals listened to industry and spoke with pharmacists, who were going to have to start stockpiling medication, which is a near-impossible task with the often-disrupted and unreliable supply chain."

"Regional pharmacies are small family businesses and risk having to close. More than 600 regional pharmacies were under threat, on top of 20,000 jobs. The Nationals will be watching closely the outcomes of these negotiations but hope that the government has finally listened and gets the details right," Mr Littleproud said.

Pictures from Pharmacy Guild of Australia Facebook page.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com