PHARMACISTS operating in single-store towns are being urged to minimise patient contact to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading through the pharmacy.
International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Practice Development and Transformation Lead, Gonzalo Soasa Pinto, reiterated concerns flagged by the Rural Pharmacy Network Australia (RPNA) (PD yesterday) that the virus could shutdown pharmacies in rural and remote area.
"In terms of patient service, if a pharmacy is the only one in a small town the contact with the patient should be minimised... because if that pharmacy closes the whole community would be without the provisions of pharmacy services and medicines," he said.
Pinto suggested pharmacists could serve patients at the door or through a window, so "that patients do not come in".
He also stressed the importance of maintaining social distancing within the pharmacy.
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