CLARENCE Valley pharmacist Michael Troy from Southside Pharmacy in NSW has voiced his concerns about the changes to the PBS following the confirmation in this week's Budget about the 60-day dispensing to start from 01 Sep.
Citing medicine shortages Troy, speaking to Australian Rural & Regional News, explained, "there is nothing about this proposal which makes logical sense for our local community, or for us as a small regional business.
"The numbers crunch suggests that should this proposal go ahead, $170,000 of revenue will be lost out of the average community pharmacy.
"Lost revenue has an impact on any small business, and there would have to be a way for us to restructure, either by a reduction in staff, or a reduction in trading hours and/or open days, which would reduce the community's access to the services we provide.
"Patients will ultimately be worse off if this proposal goes ahead."
The Pharmacy Guild has come out strongly asserting that "millions of Australians who visit their local pharmacy every week could soon be worse off following a massive cut in the Budget to 6,000 community pharmacies".
National President Trent Twomey said the $3.5b cut will impact patients and their ability to get medicine, advice and services from their local pharmacist.
"Unless the Federal Government provides a guarantee that no patient and no community pharmacy will be worse off under their new medicine policy then millions of people in every single community in Australia will be worse off," Twomey explained.
"The Government's $3.5b cut will, unfortunately, mean pharmacists will need to make tough decisions that will see some shut their doors and others shut on weekends, opening later in the morning or closing early in the evening and it will mean patients miss out on vital medicines and health services.
"These are unprecedented changes that will fundamentally change the way patients get medicine and access support from their local pharmacist.
"Because the Government is not reinvesting all the money they are taking out, as the Department of Health data provided to the Guild shows, pharmacists only have two options - to close or reduce hours and services.
"If the Govt wants to actually reinvest the money taken out, they will need to fund at least $3.5b back into community pharmacies over the next four years."
The Guild said pharmacies will now undertake a review of their own financial impact.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 12 May 23
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