LEGISLATIVE amendments relating to the Health Minister's discretionary powers to grant Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) approval for new pharmacies is included in the Regulator Performance Omnibus Bill 2022, which is currently before the Federal Parliament.
The amendments, which impact the National Health Act 1953, aim to streamline the request process by which the Minister can exercise discretion to approve a premise by combining the current two-stage process into a single stage, which would cut the timeframe for approvals from six to four months.
The reforms will also prevent a second request for the exercise of the Minister's discretion from being made within 12 months of a decision in relation to a previous request by the same applicant for the same premises.
"These amendments will provide more timely access to pharmaceutical benefits where the Minister exercises discretion to approve a pharmacist, and allow for more efficient operational arrangements to support effective administration of the PBS," the Bill states.
Introducing the Bill to the House of Representatives, Assistant Minister for Youth and Employment Services, Luke Howarth, said the current process of seeking Ministerial approval was "frustrating and time-consuming for the applicant".
"It also delays the community's access to pharmaceutical benefits in circumstances where the Minister decides to exercise their discretion, and imposes an administrative burden on government resources," he said.
"The Regulator Performance Omnibus Bill is an important piece of the architecture that supports our regulatory stewardship approach.
"If passed, it will be a key moment in the story of the Australian Government's deregulation agenda."
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 10 Feb 22
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