Pharmacy Daily | More nuanced rural policy needed

THE Remote and Isolated Pharmacist Association of Australia (RIPAA) is calling for a fresh approach to the future of healthcare in rural and remote pharmacy that recognises unique challenges facing thin markets.

Fundamental to the vision is a shift towards locally embedded, full-scope pharmacy models, which RIPAA said will better support the seven million Australians living outside major metropolitan hubs.

While acknowledging calls to remove the Home Medicines Review cap of 30 per month, RIPAA maintained that without targeted rural protections, simple uncapping risks opening rural and remote communities to volume-based urban models that do not provide long-term care.

"We aren't just asking for more numbers; we are asking for a model that works for the bush," RIPAA president Fredrik Hellqvist said.

"Simply removing the cap nationwide might help some consultants to provide more reviews, but in a thin rural market, it doesn't solve the sustainability of the locally embedded clinical pharmacist.

"We need a nuanced policy that prioritises the practitioner who works in the community over 'fly-in' services."

Also on the agenda is the current workforce crisis, which is creating a funding deficit for rural towns, with RIPAA pointing to the need for a funding model that recognises the high cost and low volume of thin markets.

"Because we can't always find the staff, the health dollars are redirected to cities where the workforce is more plentiful," Hellqvist said.

"When you don't have the workforce, you can't deliver the service; and unless you can deliver the service, you cannot access the funding," he continued.

"We need a system where funding follows the local presence, not just the volume of claims."

Finally, RIPAA is calling for greater data transparency.

"We are flying blind without public data," said Hellqvist.

"We need to know what pharmacy services are being delivered and where - we need to know where the service gaps are."