THE Pharmacy Guild has expressed significant misgivings about the timing of the release of further funds allocated under the Sixth Community Pharmacy Agreement, with doubts around $600 million due this year.
Speaking on a panel at APP on Fri, Guild executive director David Quilty said "the agreement makes it clear that the $600 million for new expanded professional programs should commence from 01 Jul 2017.
"That point is very close, and we've been concerned that cost effectiveness reviews that precede the expansion of existing programs are very late," he said.
Quilty said the first tranche of the cost-effectiveness reviews was still being completed, while "some of the programs have effectively not even commenced being reviewed.
"The process the Health Department has put in place has clearly not worked," he said.
Quilty emphasised that "it is vital this money flows in full and on time...for the viability and the transformation of pharmacy," welcoming comments in the Health Minister's APP speech which he said showed "Greg Hunt recognises this".
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