Government to invest over $16 million to deliver system.
Health minister Greg Hunt has just unveiled a plan to deliver the national roll-out of real-time prescription monitoring for medicines, to “directly address the needless loss of life from misuse of these drugs”.
The national Real Time Prescription Monitoring scheme will provide an instant alert to pharmacists and doctors if patients receive multiple supplies of prescription-only medicines.
Hunt said the system will save lives and protect the community, adding “this is something of absolute national importance”.
“Real time reporting will assist doctors and pharmacists to identify patients who are at risk of harm due to dependency, misuse or abuse of controlled medicines, and patients who are diverting these medicines,” he said.
The Pharmacy Guild welcomed the announcement, with president George Tambassis pledging the organisation’s support, working with government and other stakeholders including doctor groups and consumers to see an effective and smooth implementation.
“For too long doctors and pharmacists have been expected to work at the front line tackling the prescription drug dependence issue without the full knowledge that real time recording can provide. The technology exists – it’s great that there is now real political momentum to see it implemented,” Tambassis said.
More in Monday’s edition of Pharmacy Daily.