Pharmacy Daily | PSA’s Fei Sim on resilience

WHILE 2024 was a year of growth and opportunity, there were many challenges for pharmacists, challenges that have been met with "incredible resilience", Associate Professor Fei Sim (pictured), President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, told Pharmacy Daily in an exclusive interview.

"The pharmacy profession - regardless of areas of practice, regardless of what you do, where you practice - has really gone through a very tumultuous time since the start of COVID," A/Prof Sim said.

"We all know what happened during COVID, and even after COVID, and I don't think our profession has had the opportunity to breathe."

Sim pointed to uncertainty around 60-day dispensing for community pharmacists; uncertainty facing hospital pharmacists and the ongoing changes around funding for hospital services; and pharmacists who are in a niche practice area without commitment that it is going to continue.

"Our profession has gone through this emotional journey, yet we are telling them that, despite all this, they are expected to continue to upskill in order provide their services, and to expand their scope of practice that we, as the professional peak body, are asking and advocating for."

Demands on and opportunities for pharmacists will only increase, as an ageing population will come with increased healthcare needs, A/Prof Sim pointed out.

Even now, she pointed out, there are challenges around patients currently unable to get into their GPs in a timely manner; inequity in access to care, depending on where people live; and rising use of medication, and with it the risk for medication misadventure - a risk that pharmacists are well-placed to head off.

"We should not underestimate the amount of pressure that has been placed on pharmacists over the last year in order for us to do all that we do," A/Prof Sim said.

"The resilience of pharmacists is incredible - we just keep going."

"From the PSA's perspective, the challenge here is that as a peak body, representing pharmacists, yes, doing advocacy is important.

"But I would like to think that supporting members in our profession is equally, if not more, important, because that is our number one remit."

Check out the full interview in Pharmacy Daily's 2024 Year in Review special report HERE. KB