AUSTRALIA'S pharmacy workforce needs urgent investment to boost capacity to meet the demands of the nation's health systems, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia National President, Dr Fei Sim, believes.
Commenting on Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese's address to the National Press Club yesterday, during which he thanked health workers for their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sim said, "the sector needs leadership and action, not more thanks".
"If working conditions do not improve across the board, the expertise of pharmacists will become inaccessible to our communities," Sim warned.
"We need leadership from the Federal Government to keep pharmacists on the ground delivering frontline healthcare and medicine safety.
"The Federal Government needs to invest in a whole of profession workforce strategy, working with pharmacists and peak bodies to create attractive and rewarding careers."
Sim noted that the PSA had not been invited to the Prime Minister's Jobs and Skills Summit later this week, and that the pharmacy sector had been overlooked at Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler's Health Workforce Summit.
Sim has previously called for an increase to the Pharmacy Industry Award 2020, saying "remuneration has a direct tie to our workforce capacity issues" (PD 03 Aug).
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