Pharmacists push to make emergency dispensing powers a permanent fixture
The temporary COVID-19 measures should be used to save lives, says the Pharmacy Guild of Australia
Pharmacists are being accused of exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic in their push to extend temporary powers to dispense prescription medicines to patients without a script.
In January, pharmacists were granted permission to give patients up to a month’s supply of their usual PBS medicines without a prescription from their doctor.
The move, involving both state and federal legislation, was billed as a temporary emergency measure to assist patients during the bushfires who may have lost their prescriptions or been unable to see their usual doctor.
But it was extended in March as part of the Government’s response to COVID-19.
