TASMANIA'S Strahan Pharmacy is in the running to claim the Australian Small Business Champion Awards' Pharmacy of the Year crown at a ceremony in Sydney this weekend.
The store has been listed as one of the seven category finalists against odds, with the pharmacy facing significant challenges following the death of its owner, Mark Fletcher, last year (PD 10 Aug).
Since Fletcher's passing, his wife, Julie Fletcher - who is not a registered pharmacist - has been operating the town's only pharmacy in a caretaker capacity, while attempting to find a buyer for the business.
In an effort to ensure patients in Strahan retain access to pharmacy services, Julie has relied on securing the services of locum pharmacists to keep the pharmacy's doors open.
However, she had recently had to close the store for a number of days, after her efforts to access support through the Rural Locum Assistance Program (RLAP) were rejected, because she is not a registered pharmacist.
The Australian Small Business Champion Awards' Pharmacy of the Year will be presented at The Star, Sydney as part of the National Presentation event on Fri 02 and Sat 03 Sep.
The full list of finalists in the Pharmacy category are:
Cincotta Discount Pharmacy, Stocklands Merrylands.
Meds Direct Pharmacy, Merrylands.
Mt Colah Pharmacy and Post Office.
TerryWhite Chemmart (TWC) Milton Pharmacy.
TWC Plumpton.
West Pymble Pharmacy.
Strahan Pharmacy.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 30 Aug 22
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