Flood support
January 18, 2011
The thoughts of all at the
Pharmacy Guild are with those
community pharmacists in so many
parts of Eastern Australia who have
been affected by the widespread
extraordinary flooding over the past
fortnight.
Certainly, when a natural disaster
claims a significant number of lives,
property loss and economic impact
must be kept in perspective.
It is the case, though, that for
many Guild members in Queensland
and Victoria, the flooding has lead
not only to costly closure of business,
but also to damage to their private
homes, and to evacuation.
In terms of scale, the impact has
been greatest in Queensland where
at one point more than 120
pharmacies were forced to
close, with many severely damaged.
Throughout the crisis, the Guild
has been active at a number of
levels to assist community
pharmacists and to ensure that the
public are aware of the emergency
supply arrangements which can kickin
as required during such disasters.
As readers of Pharmacy Daily will
be aware, the Guild has also
implored pharmaceutical
manufacturers and their
representative organisations to
assist pharmacies wherever
possible to withstand the economic
downturn which will surely follow
such a destructive event.
We have asked for a review of
trading terms and credit periods for
community pharmacies in the
affected regions.
Even where pharmacies have not
been physically inundated by the
floodwaters, the economic impact
through reduced consumer
confidence and spending is likely to
be long lasting.
The Guild has also compiled a
range of information that may assist
affected pharmacies during the
flood recovery.
This information is available by
clicking the “flood resources” button
on the homepage of the Guild
website at www.guild.org.au.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 18 Jan 11To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 18 Jan 11
