PRESSURE is mounting on the Federal Government to fund the provision of free rapid antigen test kits (RATs) for all Australians, with employee pharmacists' union Professional Pharmacists Australia (PPA) calling for health workers to be given priority access to them.
PPA CEO, Jill McCabe, described the current issues around accessing RATs and PCR tests as "an indictment on the Federal Government", and stressed the need for pharmacy workers to be able to get tested.
"Pharmacists should have priority access to RATs as part of the broader frontline health workforce," she told Pharmacy Daily.
"These workers front-up everyday, risking their own health for the good of the community - it's a small thing to ask that they be provided access to RATs.
"It is also in the community's interest that frontline health workers are able to test quickly and efficiently given the constraints on the health system we're experiencing."
In a separate statement, McCabe said that access to RATs should not be restricted to "just those who can afford to buy the tests".
"We represent the vast majority of pharmacists in Australia -- employee pharmacists -- and we're calling on the Federal Government to act urgently and provide the tests free to all given the surge in cases and the change in testing regimes," she said.
"The virus hasn't changed just because the Federal Government's definitions and approach to testing has changed."
PPA President, Geoff March, warned the impact of maintaining the Federal Government's current policy on RATs would create financial hardship for workers going forward.
"Employee pharmacists are on the frontline of this issue, constantly running out of supply and seeing the look on people's faces when they struggle to pay for tests," he said.
"Most Australians find the cost of testing their family prohibitive - if they're able to find testing kits at all.
"If Australians have to rely on the private sector to get Covid tests, they will be paying up to $20 each - that's $100 for a family of five for just one test each time.
"In the future more workers will need to access the tests before going into work so the financial strain will increase.
"We are concerned about the dire shortage in the supply of RATs, the prohibitive cost and the intensifying pressure on working pharmacists dealing with this issue, as well as continuing the vaccination program which now includes boosters and children's vaccination."
March also noted that while the Government increased funding for the administration of COVID-19 booster vaccinations through pharmacy (PD breaking news 22 Dec 2021), "this is not being shared with the pharmacists who are working harder than ever before".
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