The inequity of pharmacy distribution

THE INEQUITY OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF PHARMACY BUSINESSES IN AUSTRALIA

Quote from Letter to Editor of the Australian Financial Review (14 November 2013) from Greg Turnbull of The Pharmacy Guild of Australia:

The provision of quality dispensing of PBS medicines at around 5300 pharmacies evenly distributed across Australia is an essential health service for Australian consumers, appropriately subsidised by government since 1948.

Source: http://www.afr.com/p/opinion/fact_is_the_best_cure_for_howes_A0ttA6GrLqkaGxR0gDmb0H

This was posted in a rebuttal of the article by Paul Howes in the Financial Review on 13^th November 2013

See it at http://www.afr.com/p/opinion/no_room_left_for_pharmacy_guild_RHF7RyCxkhd0I65945sCkL

So what? – Just another bun fight between the Pharmacy Guild and a critic of the current Australian retail pharmacy industry. “Nothing new about that” one could say.

Yes BUT there are aspects of the quote that need comment when looking at the provision of pharmacy services to ALL Australians.

There is one group that is left out of the assumption that the pharmacies in Australia are evenly distributed throughout the Nation.

There are 53,000 Aboriginal people living in remote communities in the Northern Territory who would not know what a “pharmacist” is let alone what a pharmacy business looked like.

The reference to quality dispensing of PBS medicines is a joke with no pharmacist in sight at the point of dispensing and supply to the patient – unlike every other Australian who, thanks to the PBS money, has a pharmacist available at the point of supply everywhere a PBS medicines is supplied.

And as for this being an essential health service for Australian consumers well “yes” maybe but NOT if you are an Aboriginal person living in one of the 100 remote communities in the Northern Territory.

It is time the Pharmacy Guild took its head out of the sand and started to look around for ways its beloved “service” can be improved for these Australians with the worst health status in the land and who would not know why their prescribed medicines will work let alone why they should take them.

Adherence is a problem and none more so than amongst remote living Aboriginal Australians.

One more thing – the statement that the PBS has been appropriately subsidized by government since 1948 is wrong for remote living Aboriginal people – it was not until the year 2000 that this occurred for these people through the special arrangements made possible using Section 100 of the National Health Act.

Any pharmacist interested in investing in a pharmacy business and any one of the 20 remote “growth towns” in the NT should contact the writer at rollom@iinet.net.au or on 08 8991 8457 or 0411 049 872.

A Prospectus is to be produced to assist future investors with their decisions.