Guild urges disaster plan
December 2, 2015
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia
has reinforced the need for
residents in areas susceptible to
natural disasters such as bushfires,
floods and storms to visit their
community pharmacy to develop
a “disaster emergency medication
plan”.
Acting Guild president Tim Logan
said the prospect of a hot dry
summer and recent bushfires in
WA and SA have highlighted the
problem, with disaster situations
often seeing medications and
prescriptions lost leaving patients
without essential treatments and
no record of what medicines they
should be taking.
He said pharmacists play a
critical role in ensuring continuity
of medicine supply to consumers
in emergencies, and may be able
to assist people who have lost
relevant identification or may be
attending an unfamiliar pharmacy.
In preparation for a natural
disaster an emergency kit should be
assembled containing at least three
days’ supply of medication, said Qld
health’s disaster management unit
senior director, Dr Peter Aitken,
with ideally seven to ten days’
supply available along with a copy
of the prescription.
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