Monopoly claims ‘shameful beat-up’
CLAIMS patients in rural areas are being charged three times more than those residing in metro areas for life-saving prescription medicines is “a shameful beat-up” according to the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.
A spokesperson for the
Guild slammed reports published across News Limited publications last night, which said patients were being forced to travel 100km to get prescriptions filled at discount pharmacies to save more than $1,000 a year.
The articles suggested that the Pharmacy Location Rules had allowed Guild members to inflate medicines prices by restricting competition, however, the spokesperson said the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) was designed to ensure equality of access to prescription medicines across the country.
The spokesperson added that the PBS Safety Net limited a patient’s spending on prescription medicines to a maximum of $1550.70 a year for general patients and $390 for concession card holders.
“Consumers have benefited for almost 30 years from the Location Rules which have ensured a well-distributed network of community pharmacies supplying PBS medicines and patient services - where people live, and where they need those medicines and services,” the Guild spokesperson said.
“The Location Rules have produced an equitable spread of community pharmacies that provides consumers a very high level of access and choice, including in rural and regional areas.
“The Location Rules prevent the clustering of pharmacies in more lucrative, higher socio-economic areas, which in turn may deprive patients (particularly those who cannot travel longer distances and those living in rural area or lower socio-economic outer metropolitan suburbs) from having timely and convenient access to a local pharmacy.”
The News Ltd articles were based on a survey conducted on behalf of Chemist Warehouse of 325 people living in regional Victoria, which found 66% of patients had to drive to another town to get their prescriptions filled.
The survey also reported that six-in-10 respondents said they delayed buying medications for financial reasons.