Pharmacies and chemists will charge Australians for free medical services amid fears Labor’s new prescription policy will send revenues tumbling.
Previously free services included blood pressure checks, home delivery of medicines, wound dressings and baby weighing.
That comes after the introduction of the federal government’s 60-day spending policy — which will see patients get 60 days’ worth of prescriptions at the same price as their current 30-day scripts. Changes will start from September 1st.
Four out of five pharmacies will start charging for services to combat the impact of the policy, with 90 percent expecting profits to decrease by a third, according to a 2023 CommBank Pharmacy Insights report.
Following the introduction of the policy, confidence in the pharmaceutical sector plunged by nearly 100 points on the UTS Community Pharmacy Barometer Index – the lowest in a decade.
Pharmacies and chemists will start charging Australians for previously free medical services including blood pressure checks and drug delivery amid fears Labor’s 60-day spending policy will lead to a drop in profits.
In May, confidence in the pharmaceutical sector was at a 10-year high but fell to a decade-low – scoring nearly 100 points on the UTS Community Pharmacy Barometer Index.
Community pharmacies believe their business will suffer from the spending scheme, with 72 percent expecting their profits to decrease.
The government’s own report revealed that pharmacies across Australia would lose nearly $160,000 a year each under the programme.
CommBank Head of Health Albert Naffah said pharmacies were being forced to reconsider the financial viability of their business.
“Many are weighing whether keeping the workforce and hours open is financially viable, while others are still grappling with shortages,” Naffah told The Australian.
Southwest Sydney pharmacy owner Quinn On said most chemists would be looking for extra ways to make a profit.
‘Many pharmacies do free drug delivery for regular and elderly patients, and that will not happen again after 60 days of drug administration,’ said Mr On.
“We had a lot of meetings about how we could reduce the impact of the 60 day spend, we did everything we could.”
Mr On added that free wound dressings were one of the services that would no longer be free, while blood pressure checks would cost $10 to $15.
The owner of the pharmacy is considering whether hiring a midwife, who weighs babies and advises new mothers, for 4.5 hours a week is appropriate.
Previously free services included blood pressure checks, home delivery of medicines, wound dressings and baby weighing
It is estimated that pharmacies across Australia will lose nearly $160,000 a year under the federal government’s 60-day spending policy – a scheme that would see patients get 60 days’ worth of prescriptions at the same price as their current 30-day scripts.
“I get a line of people every Friday morning … I’m now seeing if I can continue to provide that service,” he said.
Pharmacies are considering joining a program where they will earn a small fee for enrolling patients into a program that monitors medication adherence, blood pressure, and cholesterol.
The ComBank Pharmacy Insights report added that businesses will push to provide more services for patient care to expand revenue.
“The extent and magnitude of the expected (profit) decline leads to a variety of strategic responses,” the report said.
‘The top growth opportunity for pharmacists in November 2022 is expanding professional services.
‘Assessing business labor costs is common. These include 62 per cent considering reducing assistants, 43.5 per cent saying the same about pharmacists being hired and 48.1 per cent seeing reduced opening hours.’
Pharmacists, independent of the Pharmacy Guild, in New South Wales will protest the spending scheme by rallying in Sydney on Thursday.
The policy would allow patients living with stable ongoing health conditions on their current medication to receive double the drug for the cost of one prescription.
This means, 320 common drugs over 60 days can be prescribed for the price of one PBS co-pay for 30 days.
The scheme will also see people in nursing homes pay $806 annually to have their medicines delivered, according to findings from a recent analysis by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.
The Labor policy passed the Senate despite attempts by the Coalition to block the scheme. The legislation will enter into force in September.
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