Pharmacy Daily | SHPA urges close look at chemo funding

THE Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia has welcomed a Senate inquiry into the funding of chemotherapy. SHPA president Sue Kirsa said that terms of reference for the probe “should ensure that it focuses on maintaining viable chemotherapy practice services before hospitals are forced to make hard decisions about ceasing them”. Kirsa said the cumulative effect of changes to remuneration for preparing and dispensing chemotherapy drugs is still threatening the viability of private hospital pharmacy services, which currently provide 60% of chemotherapy to cancer patients. “SHPA notes that many public hospital pharmacies are also affected by these changes and will suffer significant budget stress,” Kirsa added, saying that unless a sustainable model is agreed upon some current private services will no longer be viable. “The public hospital system would then be at risk of being deluged with patients exiting the private system to continue their chemotherapy - up to 209,000 same-day episodes per annum,” she warned.

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