COMMUNITY pharmacists need to be actively involved in national disaster planning and recovery efforts going forward, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia believes.
In its eight-page submission to the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements, the Guild made a number of recommendations, including a call for the expansion of Continued Dispensing and complementary emergency supply arrangements to be made a permanent feature of the Australian health system, and the "immediate inclusion of a community pharmacy representative in future national disaster response and recovery working groups, and incident/emergency operations centres as required".
The organisation also noted that "pharmacists should be appropriately recompensed for coordinating urgent medicine supply arrangements in emergencies, and this should be considered in any Commonwealth and State/Territory emergency management planning".
The Guild added was committed to working with other healthcare professionals, stakeholders, community organisations, and all levels of Government in Australia to improve safe and quality healthcare services and health infrastructure that aim to support all Australians, including in times of crisis or disaster.
"The 2019-20 bushfire season caused significant damage and disruption, and the health system was under increased strain," the submission states.
"Pharmacists, as frontline health professionals, played a vital role in ensuring patients received the medication and advice they needed to get them through the crisis, often under stressful, trying and difficult conditions and circumstances.
"In order to help shape future national natural disaster planning, preparation, response and recovery efforts, we need to better utilise all the features of Australia's health system, including community pharmacists."
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 29 Apr 20
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