CASH-STRAPPED pharmacies could be placed "in a dubious ethical position" if the Federal Government does not revise its plans for the rollout of free rapid antigen tests (RATs), pharmacy owners warn.
Following Prime Minister, Scott Morrison's announcement free RATs will be made available to concession card-holders through community pharmacies, the Government made known it will not supply pharmacies with tests specifically for this group, and stores will be expected to provide RATs from their existing supplies.
Adelaide-based pharmacy owner, Patrick Carrig, told The Guardian, that it remained unclear how pharmacies would be reimbursed for supplying free RATs to eligible patients.
"We are presumably meant to spend our days scrounging for the cheapest tests so that we can at least break even on the deal," Carrig said.
"We are expected to source our own tests and then provide them at whatever the government is willing to pay."
Carrig warned that some pharmacies may not participate in the program given the upfront costs they will be expected to bear and the unspecified timeframe as to when they will be reimbursed.
"This puts us in a dubious ethical position," he said.
"If the tests fall under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, we're not allowed to supply them, but if it's going to be a separate thing, well, not every pharmacy may be able to afford to do it."
Meanwhile, Professional Pharmacists Australia (PPA) CEO, Jill McCabe, has raised concerns the current undersupply of RATs that have been approved for home use across the country is compromising the safety of pharmacy workers and the general public.
McCabe reported that some pharmacy owners have been conducting tests in the absence of self-testing kits, which she said could lead to an unsafe testing regime.
The PPA CEO called on the Government to extend its free RATs program to all Australians.
"While access to a limited number of tests for concession card holders was a small step in the right direction -- it's still grossly inadequate," she said.
"We need to make RATs freely available to all, and we need to get the supply of these tests into a range of settings -- not just in pharmacies.
"Because of the undersupply of tests and testing options, pharmacists are being inundated with calls for tests and are also expected to dispense medications, administer vaccinations and provide other health services. It simply isn't safe."
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