AUSTRALIA Post workers in Victoria need to be granted exemptions from the State's Stage Four lockdown rules, to support medicines home delivery services, pharmacy stakeholders believe.
Pharmacy Guild of Australia Victorian Branch President, Anthony Tassone, backed calls from Australia Post CEO, Christine Holgate, for the service to be granted an exemption similar to those given to wholesalers (PD 07 Aug) to support home delivery services.
"More and more pharmacies are being called upon to deliver medicines to patients and Australia Post is one such service having greater use during the COVID pandemic," he told the Australian Financial Review (AFR).
"Without the appropriate exemptions there could be delays in important and critical medicines getting in the hands of patients seeking delivery of medicines and interruptions in their treatment and care."
In a post on LinkedIn, Tassone said, "Australia Post must be given exemptions during Stage Four COVID restrictions in Victoria regarding having to reduce staffing and operations when it comes to delivery of critical items".
Holgate, a former CEO of Blackmores, told the AFR that the impact of the restrictions on deliveries was comparable to the "Suez Canal coming down to a drainpipe".
Blackmores chairman, Marcus Blackmore, also voiced concerns, saying he did not "believe the Victorian Government has thought this through".
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 10 Aug 20
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 10 Aug 20
