Academics offer bushfire support

ACADEMICS from pharmacy schools across Australia are offering their services to assist pharmacists affected by the bushfires in NSW, Victoria and South Australia.

In an open letter published on LinkedIn, the Council of Pharmacy Schools of Australia and New Zealand (CPS) President, Professor Peter Little AM, expressed the academic fraternity’s desire to support bushfire recovery efforts.

“As a start, Professor Greg Kyle, from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) proposed that currently registered academic pharmacists could provide some temporary locum relief to pharmacies in affected areas,” he said.

“The pharmacists would be allocated to pharmacies based on greatest need as assessed by the state branch office of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia (or the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia, for hospitals) and provide a locum pharmacist for two to three days to allow pharmacists to deal with personal insurance requirements, family matters or just grieve the tragedy with their communities.

“We are aware that some universities have offered paid leave to health professionals to assist in appropriate ways to address this major national emergency and tragedy.

“For example, QUT has approved two weeks special leave for three pharmacists to undertake this role. QUT will be providing paid leave and the pharmacists will be personally paying for travel and accommodation costs as their donation to the recovery.

“Other Schools of Pharmacies are currently seeking the necessary support from within their university structures to allow support as proposed by QUT.”

Little added the CPS was also interested to learn of any other assistance academic pharmacists can offer the profession.