PHARMACISTS in southern NSW are bracing for another day of extreme temperatures on Sat, as bushfires decimate lives, homes and businesses in the region.
Amcal Merimbula co-owner, Linda Badewitz-Dodd, told Pharmacy Daily, the bushfires, which have led to road closures have limited wholesalers' ability to deliver, flying vital products in, however, smoke haze has limited their ability to reach the town.
Badewitz-Dodd said she had managed to arrange to get Ventolin and face masks, from pharmacists in the Capital Chemist Group based in Canberra, which arrived yesterday afternoon.
"We're still going to run out [of asthma medication and masks]," she said.
"We're going to run out really quickly, but at least we're helping some people.
"We've been rationing the salbutamol.
"The local area hospital gave us supplies, because they know if we can look after people they don't end up there while they're busily trying to treat burn victims and other people."
Badewitz-Dodd said a local doctor had helped bring the masks down from Canberra, had said they should given out free of charge, however, the pharmacist said she will ask customers to make a contribution to the Rural Fire Service in exchange for the masks.
Capital Chemist Group Business Manager, Andrew Topp, who played a part in facilitating deliveries to the Merimbula pharmacy, highlighted the efforts of pharmacists across the southeast in a LinkedIn post yesterday.
"Amazing stories coming out of the south coast pharmacy network," he said.
"Danielle Campbell from Narooma Pharmacy has spent three days in an evacuation centre, working with local doc, sourcing scripts and products for hundreds of evacuees.
"Meanwhile her house is at risk.
"Tim Rudd from Capital Chemist Ulladulla is currently at the dock in Ulladulla delivering medicines to a boat for patients stranded in Manyana which is currently cut off.
"Sandra Ferrington from Capital Chemist Kingston and Gareth Wheeldon from University of Canberra Capital Chemist have arranged delivery of much needed asthma medication to Linda Badewitz-Dodd at Amcal Merimbula - other suppliers couldn't get through.
"All coast stores have spent hours on the phone chasing medication records for evacuees and victims using emergency supply provisions to ensure medication continuance (saving hospitals and medicare thousands of dollars)."
Speaking with Pharmacy Daily, Topp said the New Year's Eve fires had forced a number of pharmacies in the network to close early, with two stores in Batemans Bay evacuated.
Topp confirmed a number of staff members lost homes in the fires, but said all the group's employees were safe, and the pharmacies were still standing.
Meanwhile, bushfire smoke has been identified as a potential factor in the death of an elderly woman, after she went into respiratory distress after disembarking a flight from Brisbane to Canberra yesterday afternoon, with the city enveloped in a cloud of smoke.
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