QUM a priority: Hunt

PHARMACISTS are being urged to lobby their State or Territory Health Ministers to ensure the Federal Government’s plan to make quality use of medicines a national health priority comes to fruition.

Addressing delegates at the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s (PSA’s) PSA19 conference in Sydney on Fri, Federal Health Minister, Greg Hunt, said the Morrison Government “will now move to the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) to make the quality use of medicines a national health priority”.

“We will not stop until its done,” he said.

“I will need your help to make sure that each of the states and territories agree to it, due to the arcane nature of COAG... [but] I’m very confident that there won’t be any resistance.”

Hunt also reaffirmed that the PSA will have a significant role in the negotiations for the Seventh Community Pharmacy Agreement (7CPA), as a co-signatory for the first time.

“The PSA will play a critical part in the design in relation to the Code of Ethics, the practice and services,” he said.

“It’s a really important thing that you have a seat at the table from the perspective of what’s going to support the pharmacists and what’s going to support the patients.”

However, he added that under the National Health Act, the Heads of Agreement and issues of remuneration will be exclusively signed off by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and the Government.