ENSURING Indigenous Australians have comprehensive access to pharmacy services must be regarded as a minimum for any incoming Federal Government, according to the Pharmacy Guild.
In a statement calling on the two major parties to commit to reforming the Indigenous Pharmacy Programs, the Guild and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) said more funding was required to promote quality use of medicines (QUM) for Indigenous Australians.
Guild National President, George Tambassis, said community pharmacy was a key and culturally safe access point for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in rural, regional and remote parts of the country.
"To date significant gains have been achieved through the current Indigenous Pharmacy Programs and successful and sustainable partnerships between Indigenous health services and community pharmacies have helped to provide services for Aboriginal people that improve health outcomes and assist in Closing the Gap," he said.
"But we need to do more and we need to reform the Indigenous Pharmacy Programs to move with the changing needs of these patients and the changing health environment of their communities."
Tambassis said reforms designed to improve the Indigenous Pharmacy Programs should include expanding the authority to write Close the Gap scripts for all prescribers, linking medicines subsidy to individual clients and not practice through a national identifier.
He added that funding was required to improve how remote clients can receive fully subsidised medicines in non-remote areas.
The Guild President also called for the registration process for Close the Gap to be simplified to make it more straightforward and accessible.
NACCHO Acting Chair, Donnella Mills, said significant reforms were needed to ensure equal access to medicines for Indigenous people living in regional and remote areas.
"There are still patients who are not serviced effectively by these programs and some who are falling through the gaps," she said.
"Medicines access for Aboriginal people is still below that of the overall Australian population and access is not commensurate with the burden of disease that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people suffer.
"Through our members' feedback and the Indigenous Pharmacy Programs review, we know how the system needs to be improved. Now it is time for political leaders to act."
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 10 May 19
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