Patients would save if pharmacists could do more

The AIHW Health Expenditure Australia 2017-18 Report, which coincides with the World Pharmacists Day, confirmed that pharmacists could play a greater role in alleviating some of the pressure on Australia’s health system.

President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Victoria Branch, Anthony Tassone, said empowering pharmacists to practise to their full scope would lower healthcare costs for everyday Australians and provide better health outcomes for patients.

“The report demonstrates out-of-pocket costs for patients to access a GP could be significantly reduced by encouraging patients to see their pharmacist for common ailments,” Mr Tassone said.

Previous figures have shown more than half a million Australians have forgone seeing a doctor due to the cost, or the difficulty in getting an appointment; a number which will likely rise given the $38 million growth of GP out-of-pocket costs.

“In other countries, like the UK and Canada, pharmacists are playing a greater role in their health systems helping reduce the cost for patients by up to $1 billion a year,” Mr Tassone said.

Allowing pharmacists to practise to their full scope could relieve some of the pressure on overworked GPs, freeing them to spend more time with their patients, treating more serious issues.

“Giving pharmacists a greater role to treat common ailments, issue repeat prescriptions for stable and ongoing conditions, and administer more vaccinations, will provide better health outcomes and make accessing basic healthcare more affordable for Australian families,” Mr Tassone said.

Mr Tassone noted one of the few areas where there has been improvement in affordability for patients was in PBS-listed medication.

“Reform of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) through successive Community Pharmacy Agreements with Federal Governments has helped more lifesaving treatments be listed and also reduce the amount patients are paying for medication, saving consumers $11 a year when compared to 2007-08,” he said.

Pharmacists are Australia’s most accessible health professionals, helping Australians on more than 450 million occasions in 2018 alone, often with free health advice.

“Better using pharmacists would also mean families don’t need to pay to see a doctor every time they need to top up their prescription, get their travel vaccinations or have an upset stomach, which would provide some relief to tight family budgets,” Mr Tassone said.

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