Pharmacy Daily | ‘Canary in the coal mine’

PHARMACY Guild National President Trent Twomey said the heartbreaking decision made by Natalie Linder to close her Montville Pharmacy (PD 27 Jul) was not in isolation.

"The Government has forced funding cuts on community pharmacies and what we are seeing now is just the tip of the iceberg.

"Montville Pharmacy is the canary in the coal mine and the Prime Minister and Health Minister need to realise the immediate real-world consequences of their policy.

"We think it's a fair ask to pause the introduction of 60-day dispensing so we can prevent the many unintended consequences and help deliver cheaper medicines for all Australians.

"We need a new Eighth Community Pharmacy Agreement with the Federal Government to prevent the perverse negative outcomes caused by this policy."

The Guild stated that the Mundaring Village Pharmacy in Western Australia is no longer operating on Suns, with pharmacist Jana Pratico saying, "the decision has been made in response to the recent government policy regarding the 60-day dispensing period which will have significant impacts on our operations and ability to serve effectively".

Pharmacist Adrian Marshall from Amcal Night & Day Casuarina in the Northern Territory said they had been a night-and-day chemist since 1984, but 60-day dispensing has now changed that.

"It will no longer be viable for us to offer extended hours access to our pharmacy services...we have been night-and-day chemist in Darwin since first opening in 1984, however, it seems that we are at the end of an era," he said.

Capital Chemist Charnwood in the ACT has already been forced to close its Baby Clinic, which has been in operation for 25 years.

The pharmacy has also had to let staff go and increase fees for blood pressure services and medicine delivery.

"It's with heavy hearts we announce that Charnwood's Baby Clinic, run by Nurse Gaye, is closed," Charnwood pharmacist Samantha Kourtis told the Guild.

"Gaye has been providing care to babies and children of West Belconnen for over 25 years.

"With the current PBS reforms and government cuts to pharmacy, offering the baby clinic as a free service can no longer continue.

"We had planned to continue the clinic and charge a fee-for-service, however, parents told Gaye they were unable to pay the $30 fee with the cost-of-living pressures that are occurring."

Safety Bay Pharmacy in Western Australia has been servicing the area since 1957, with the pharmacy now reducing operating hours.

Pharmacist Tessa Joyce said, "it is doubtful there has ever been a bigger threat to our economic viability than 60-day dispensing".

"We don't want to change the way we do things and we will continue to fight to minimise its impact on our customers."