SOME 80 community pharmacists went to Canberra recently and held over 100 meetings to explain to their politicians the impacts of the 60DD policy on their patients, their livelihoods and their communities.
The Pharmacy Guild Executive Director Suzanne Greenwood shared in Forefront, "wearing their white coats, these pharmacists certainly made their presence felt".
"And during Question Time, when rows and rows of the public gallery were filled with these pharmacists, the visual impact was immense.
"Parliament House was left in no doubt that these pharmacists were there because they knew the policy wasn't viable.
"Despite the publicity the people they met with hadn't really grasped the concept, nor the negative impacts and risks of such a policy."
Many were unaware that the 60DD proposal was first raised in 2018 when the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee recommended 143 medicines for listing for increased maximum dispensed quantities, which later was raised to 325 without consultation with community pharmacists, said Greenwood.
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