PEAK wholesaler group the National Pharmaceutical Services Association (NPSA) says its members have distributed more than 70 million Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme medicines over the last two months - more than in any other time in Australian history.
Increased demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic saw volumes up more than 70% in Mar, with NPSA Chairman, Mark Hooper, saying "we've seen extraordinary pressure across all segments of the supply chain.
"We appreciate the difficulties experienced by consumers as certain shortages continue, however the infrastructure and systems we have in place across the wholesaler network have withstood the test," Hooper said.
NPSA members include Sigma Healthcare, EBOS/Symbion, Australian Pharmaceutical Industries and National Pharmacies, with more than 3,000 people working to deliver the medicines.
"This behind the scenes workforce is made up of distribution centre workers, customer support teams, security officers, freight drivers, IT personnel, managers and support office staff," he added.
"These are everyday Australians who have gone above and beyond during a time of great need for our country, working long hours under significant pressure to ensure communities across the country can continue to access vital medicines in a timely manner.
"The CSO framework has played a key part in this and enabled us to respond constructively to the early volatile environment, preserving medicine availability and ensuring equity of access to medicines."
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