Additional payments negotiated for dispensing 60-day prescriptions.
This morning, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and the Commonwealth Government signed the eighth Community Pharmacy Agreement (8CPA), promising cost-of-living relief for Australians and bolstering the community pharmacy network for the next five years.
The signing ceremony, attended by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Health Minister Mark Butler, Guild President Trent Twomey, and National Executive Director Gerard Benedet, followed nine months of productive negotiations.
The agreement aligns with the National Medicines Policy, emphasising the importance of accessible and affordable primary healthcare.
Key features of the 8CPA include a phased-in $1 discount for all Australians, funded by the Commonwealth Government; freezing PBS copayments for up to five years; CPI indexation on dispensing fees; additional AHI payments for dispensing 60-day prescriptions; a 30% increase in funding for healthcare programs such as Dose Administration Aids and MedsCheck; and increased support for regional pharmacies.
Twomey highlighted that the 8CPA provides sustainable cost-of-living relief and reinforces community pharmacies as primary health destinations.
Anthony Tassone, lead negotiator for the Guild, called the agreement beneficial for all Australians relying on local pharmacies for medicines and healthcare services.
The 8CPA is effective from 01 Jul 2024 to 30 Jun 2029.
More details in today’s issue of Pharmacy Daily.
