PHARMACY owners in NSW are thinking twice about their participation in two COVID-19 programs as costs outweigh the remuneration being offered by the Federal Government.
Data from the Pharmacy Guild of Australia revealed that close to 50% of pharmacies across the State have decided against providing paediatric COVID-19 vaccinations with the Federal Government fixing fees at $16 for the initial shot - $10 less than for administering booster doses - while rebates for rapid antigen tests (RATs) provided free of charge to concession cardholders are falling short of wholesale prices, ABC News reports.
Guild NSW Branch Vice President, Judy Plunkett, said the current funding meant it was "completely unviable" to participate in the paediatric vaccination program.
"People are really desperate to get their kids vaccinated but many pharmacies are not engaging in the rollout, because of the level of remuneration," she said.
"Children require that little bit of extra care and attention and often the parents are also anxious... yet we are paid $10 less per vaccination."
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) NSW Branch President, Chelsea Felkai, said the remuneration model "just doesn't make sense", adding the discrepancy in funding for pharmacist administered vaccinations compared with GPs "shows there's no understanding of what we do within community pharmacy and how much we provide to the community for the government to think we can provide these services at such a low rate and so much less than GPs".
Felkai added that "lots of pharmacies are deciding not to" join the concessional RAT program because the remuneration was insufficient to cover the costs of the tests.
"If the only stock we can get is $12 per RAT and it's a five pack, we're $10 under when we give it out as a concession package," she said.
Guild NSW Branch President, David Heffernan, told the broadcaster that pharmacists were "overwhelmed" and "taken for granted".
"We have been there with a mop and bucket trying to clean up 'policy by press release' announcements, whether that's supply chain issues, RATs or the vaccine," he said.
"We don't really have a properly instituted health roundtable to nut out some of those problems."
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