CHC, PSA support rural pharmacy plan
October 1, 2013
The Pharmaceutical Society of
Australia says the new Grattan
Institute “Access all Areas” report
(PD yesterday) reinforces its longheld
belief that pharmacists must
be more fully integrated into the
health system as a whole.
PSA national president, Grant
Kardachi, said “quite simply,
pharmacists’ skills and knowledge
in medication management are
greatly underutilised.
“Pharmacists can provide
a wide range of professional
services - working in collaboration
with others - which can assist
doctors and relieve pressure
across the whole health sector,
and importantly improve health
outcomes and ease cost pressures
on the health system,” he said.
Kardachi said the report
underscored the urgency of
acting right now to ensure the
sustainability of the health system.
“We have severe doctor shortages
in many rural and regional areas
where there is often a pharmacist
with the skills and knowledge to
help resolve minor ailments that
patients may present with.”
He said the PSA looks forward
to working with the new Coalition
government to facilitate the speedy
introduction of greater pharmacist
involvement to improve access to
health services across the country.
Mean while the Consumers
Health Forum also congratulated
the Grattan Institute for the report
released, saying that it “provides
fresh thinking to conquer the
chronic scarcity of doctors in
remote areas”.
CHF ceo Carol Bennett said that
the costly investment in incentives
to encourage more doctors to
go bush had failed to solve the
problem, with the report proposing
expanding the role of pharmacists
and physician assistants to enable
them to deal with routine cases.
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