PSA Qld seeks post-COVID measures

QUEENSLAND’S State Government is being urged to implement legislation to protect pharmacists and other health professionals from violence and abuse on a permanent basis.

In a submission to the Inquiry into the Queensland Government's health response to COVID-19, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) Queensland Branch called on the Palaszczuk Government to enact reforms to break down barriers that prevent pharmacists from supporting their communities.

The submission features 11 recommendations including implementing legislation paving the way for pharmacists to dispense emergency supplies of prescription medicines as soon as a disaster is declared, rather than having to wait for separate laws to be passed through Parliament.

It also calls for the Government to make legislation protecting pharmacy workers and other healthcare providers from violence and abuse during the COVID crisis to be made permanent.

Alongside the enactment of legislation to enable emergency dispensing, the submission called for provisions to be implemented to cease the issuing of prescriptions for medications to dispense multiple repeats at one time during a health emergency, “particularly when restrictions have been enforced for international and/or local travel”, as a measure to mitigate against medicines supply shortages.

PSA Queensland Branch President, Shane MacDonald, called on the State Government to implement protocols to engage with the profession going forward.

“Pharmacists and their staff felt forgotten by the Government during this pandemic and it is disappointing that pharmacy leaders and pharmacists were not always fully consulted when policy and implementation decisions were being made,” he said.

“There are over 1200 community pharmacies in Queensland and as far as PSA is aware not a single one closed during the pandemic, remaining open to provide care, immunisations, medicines and supplies to all Queenslanders.”

The PSA also called for pharmacists to be given access to National Immunisation Program (NIP) funded vaccines, to ensure equity of access to subsidised vaccinations.