IN A push to ensure equitable access to financial support, the National Australian Pharmacy Students' Association (NAPSA) is spearheading a new campaign to expand the government's proposed student placement payment program beyond nursing and medical degrees.
NAPSA President Sebastian Harper told Pharmacy Daily he spoke to the Senate committee examining the Universities Accord (Student Support and Other Measures) Bill 2024, advocating for the inclusion of a range of allied health degrees, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech pathology.
"We're really proud to be championing the cause of other allied health groups," said Harper.
"There's no other national health student body like NAPSA for all these other degrees, so we're stepping up to make sure their voices are heard."
NAPSA's campaign aims to secure the inclusion of all health degrees before Jul next year, when the proposed bill comes into effect.
The Senate committee's report acknowledged the need for broader inclusion, specifically mentioning the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia's submission.
However, the government's current plan is to initially limit the payments to nursing, social work, and midwifery students, with a potential review after 12 months.
Harper expressed concerns about the government's timeline, noting that a year would not provide sufficient data to evaluate the program's effectiveness.
"It's just not going to show much as you need five years or so to see how the program has affected students and degrees," he said.
An interesting insight from Harper is the potential long-term impact of NAPSA's involvement in the legislative process which has led the student body into "conducting proper advocacy".
Harper highlighted the similarities in placement requirements and that there are a high proportion of women in pharmacy and allied fields as key reasons for inclusion.
These are the same reasons that the government stated when introducing prac payments for nurses, midwives, and social workers earlier this year.
"Most of them have similar requirements, and are doing hundreds or even thousands of hours of unpaid placement."
"So, a lot of these other degrees also hit that criteria," he explained.
With growing momentum and support from allied health groups, NAPSA remains cautiously optimistic about its success.
Harper noted that the government has not yet shown a willingness to expand the program, but he believes that persistent advocacy can lead to positive change, as it has in the past.
"It might be an uphill battle, but it's always an uphill battle to get change in Australia.
"It does happen, and it's happened before.
"Good campaigns and advocacy from groups like NAPSA can actually get change," he concluded. JG
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