Pharmacy Daily | Gov responds to PBS subsidy calls

PATIENTS impacted by the bushfire crisis in NSW and Victoria will be able to access medicines subsidised by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) without a prescription under emergency provisions announced by Federal Health Minister, Greg Hunt, on Fri (PD breaking news).

In a statement released on Fri evening, Hunt said the emergency measures would empower pharmacists to dispense a wide range of PBS medicines using continued dispensing arrangements, which will remain in place until 31 Mar.

"Through continued dispensing arrangements, subject to the pharmacists' professional decision, people are able to obtain their usual PBS medicines without a prescription from their doctor, for the usual PBS cost," Hunt said.

"Under state and territory legislation, pharmacists may supply a limited amount of a medicine to a patient without a prescription if there is an urgent need and their doctor cannot be contacted.

"However, patients in this circumstance would have had to pay the full cost of this medicine, and without the respective co-payments counting towards their PBS safety-net threshold.

"These temporary changes to continued dispensing arrangements will allow pharmacists to give patients up to one month's supply of the PBS listed medicine, without a script, once in a 12-month period depending on which State or Territory they are in."

The decision to aid patients impacted by bushfires came after repeated calls by leaders from the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA), and followed the announcement of emergency dispensing provisions by NSW, Victorian and ACT governments last week.

Guild National President, George Tambassis, praised the Government's action to minimise the cost burden of accessing vital medicines for patients in fire-affected regions, noting that until today, patients had to pay the full-cost for medications if they did not have a prescription under the emergency measures.

"This welcome measure will allow pharmacists to assist patients in bushfire affected areas -- it's all about helping people at this stressful time," he said.

PSA National President, Dr Chris Freeman, said the expansion of the continued dispensing arrangements to cater for the on-going crisis was a positive step, however, he called on the Government to deliver a long-term solution that would ensure continuity of care whenever a disaster strikes.

"The last thing people need in the middle of this crisis is to find the money to pay for their medicines which would have otherwise been subsidised," he said.

"This provision will make a huge difference to unfair and unexpected out-of-pocket medicine expenses for people who are displaced by fires.

"We need nationally consistent emergency supply rules for medicines which ensure patients get the medicines they urgently need at the price they know and can afford."