Drug stockpiling left patients without meds, survey reveals
Pharmacists say many people missed doses or had to wait for alternate scripts in the first few weeks of the pandemic
Many patients missed medicine doses during the early part of the COVID-19 crisis, as panicked stockpilers left pharmacy shelves empty, according to a Pharmacy Guild of Australia survey.
More than 400 pharmacists shared their experiences during the first six weeks of the pandemic, starting from mid-March, for the survey.
Some 62% said patients had missed doses while waiting for their medicine to be supplied, with one pharmacist reporting patients “had to be admitted to hospital to access certain medications”.
Other patients had to wait while their GP was contacted for a prescription for another medicine, reported 82% of pharmacists.
