Pharmacy Daily | Hunt’s World Pharmacists Day grants

FEDERAL Health Minister, Greg Hunt, is marking World Pharmacists Day with the launch of research grants focused on medication safety and medicines interventions by pharmacists.

In a statement released last night, Hunt revealed the Government had allocated $25 million for the new Quality, Safety and Effectiveness of Medicine Use and Medicine Interventions by Pharmacists grant program (PD breaking news), which will be distributed through the Medical Research Future Fund.

Welcoming the grants, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) National President, Dr Chris Freeman, said the funding would go a long way towards improving healthcare through medicines safety.

"The intended outcome of the research grant opportunity is to reduce the amount of medicine-related harm in the community and help promote the safe and effective use of medicines," he said.

"This is on the back of the PSA's seminal Medicine Safety: Take Care report which showed 250,000 Australians are hospitalised each year and another 400,000 present to emergency departments as a result of medication error, misuse and misadventure, costing Australia $1.4 billion in hospital admissions.

"The Health Minister's commitment to the PSA to progress the National Health Priority Area included progressing research initiatives that would seek to improve medicines safety and the quality use of medicines.

"I am pleased that the Minister was able to finalise this announcement to coincide with World Pharmacists Day."

Hunt also confirmed the Federal Government has extended both the emergency Continued Dispensing measures (PD 21 Sep) and the Home Medicines Service until Mar 2021 (PD 18 Sep), noting the heroic efforts pharmacists have made to support their community through what has been a challenging year, as well as confirming changes to the Dose Administration Aid program and Rural Pharmacy Maintenance Allowance will start on 01 Jan 2021.

"On World Pharmacists Day, our Government acknowledges the outstanding work of Australia's pharmacists and pharmacy staff in communities across the nation," he said.

"Community pharmacies have kept their doors open to support Australians throughout some of the most challenging times in our recent history, including bushfires, floods, drought and a global pandemic."

Shadow Health Minister, Chris Bowen, also praised the efforts of pharmacists in ensuring patients have been able to access vital medicines during back-to-back emergency situations.

"If anything good comes out of COVID-19 it is that it increases the understanding and importance of public health and community pharmacy as we come through the crisis and out the stronger on the other side," he said.