CHARLES Darwin University in the Northern Territory is set to phase out its pharmacy program over the next two to three years, with the institution telling Pharmacy Daily the course is simply not attracting enough students.
A university spokesperson said interest in the course had waned in recent years and it was no longer economically viable for the institution to run.
"Charles Darwin University will not take further enrolments into its pharmacy program from 2020," the spokesperson said.
"Rather the university will teach out the program over the next two to three years.
"There has been limited student interest in pharmacy in recent years.
"In the past few years we have attracted only 10 students a year into the program, which is not financially sustainable."
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) NT and SA Vice President, Sam Keitaanpaa, raised concerns about the impact the course's closure will have on the profession in regional Australia, in an interview with the NT News.
"It's an issue to attract from interstate," he said.
"The loss of the ability to have those 10 students graduate will have an impact.
"We won't have that introduction of labour into the local workforce."
A spokesperson for the PSA said the society was engaging with the Federal Government on aligning incentives to encourage pharmacists to support rural and regional communities.
"PSA acknowledges the reasons behind the phasing out of CDU's pharmacy program, and that this is a difficult time for all involved, because of the potential loss of training opportunities and readily-available pharmacy workforce," the spokesperson said.
"It is only logical that the program's closure will have impacts on the sustainability of the NT's pharmacy workforce.
"It is therefore time for us to work smarter to support pharmacy, and the greater healthcare system, in rural and remote Australia.
"It is vital that there is a greater focus on attracting and retaining pharmacists in rural and remote Australia," the PSA said.
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