From September 1, patients will be able to receive double the number of 100 medicines listed on the Pharmaceutical benefits Supply (PBS), including those that treat diabetes, depression, reflux, high cholesterol and many others.
Cr Ishac said he had spoken to plenty of local pharmacies and many say they won’t cope.
He said pharmacies would lose out on dispensing fees, many wouldn’t have the room to store double the stock, some would sell out quicker than others and force patients to search for somewhere that did, and many would have to look at other ways of developing an income, like charging for free services like blood pressure and diabetes, and, “even charging for prescription deliveries which will impact pensioners and those with mobility issues”.
He urged the council to write to the Federal Health Minister Mark Butler at the last council meeting, calling on him to urgently review the policy, but a “watered down” recommendation from the Labor councillors will now only seek reassurances the new changes, whilst benefiting millions of Australians, will not cause drug supply shortages or be to the detriment of local pharmacies.
There are more than 140 pharmacies in Canterbury Bankstown, with more than 1,700 employees.
Cr David Walsh said the new policy was patient-oriented and put patients first, helping address costs of living issues.
“Pharmacies will lose out on fees, and they don’t like that, but that’s in their own interest not in the public interest,” he said.
Cr Chris Cahill said that “after 10 years of neglect, the initiative puts the patient as the priority”, helping reduce the cost of healthcare.
Cr Barbara Coorey said the impacts would be horrific on these small businesses, while the bigger “supermarket style” would survive.
“Pharmacies in our areas know their patients, they are the heart and soul, and every suburb has a pharmacy but that’s not going happen within two to three years time – many will shut,” she said.
National President of the Guild, Trent Twomey, said: “Unless the Federal Government provides a guarantee that no patient and no community pharmacy will be worse off under their new medicine policy, then millions of people in every single community in Australia will be worse off.”
