PBS criticism ‘unwarranted’
July 26, 2011
THE Pharmacy Guild says a front
page story in today’s Australian
newspaper about the high cost of
paracetamol on Pharmaceutical
Benefits Scheme prescriptions is an
unwarranted criticism of the PBS.
The report, written by Sue
Dunlevy, has blasted the system
which sees taxpayers paying up to
$8.32 per script to supply
paracetamol to pensioners - when
discount chemists offer the same
medication for less than $2.
Dunlevy argues that taxpayers are
effectively paying $43.22 for the
paracetamol, including the $34.90
cost to Medicare of the doctor’s
visit to get the script, plus $8.32 in
fees paid to pharmacists for a pack
of 100 tablets.
With more than 467,000 scripts
for paracetamol dispensed under
the PBS over the last 12 months,
this totals to a cost of $2.26m.
The Australian story also cites
higher costs for prescriptions for
other items including Selsun Blue
anti dandruff shampoo and
Metamucil, both of which are much
cheaper from discount chemists.
However the Guild said that
Australia’s health system “and in
particular the PBS” is widely
recognised as being one of the best
in the world.
“This is based not only on
grounds of access, equity, structure
and funding arrangements, but also
with regard to health outcomes,”
said a Guild spokesperson.
“Taken as a whole the PBS is a
very efficient scheme and, in
negotiating the Fifth Community
Pharmacy Agreement community
pharmacy delivered about $1 billion
in savings to the government.”
More than 1.8 million PBS Safety
Net cards are issued each year, so
removing paracetamol from the
PBS would hurt sick patients the
most, the Guild said.
A spokesperson for acting health
minister Mark Butler said that
when paracetamol was previously
removed from the PBS, it resulted
in higher cost, less appropriate and
less safe painkillers being prescribed,
which actually increased the overall
cost of the PBS and led to it being
quickly relisted.
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