Anger over Pharmacy Guild script win
Hunt's policy reversal 'risks eroding optimal access to healthcare'
15th April 2019
The Federal Government is facing a growing backlash over its refusal to allow patients to collect 60 rather than 30 days’ worth of prescription medicines per pharmacy visit after lobbying by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.
The proposal, covering 143 PBS-listed medicines, was drawn up by the PBAC and was meant to offer patients with chronic conditions “financial and convenience benefits”.
Savings for patients would have topped $200 million a year, but the Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, shelved the plan after the guild claimed it was “catastrophic”