Deregulation the ‘wrong prescription’

APRIL 20, 2015: THIS morning I met with pharmacists in Mackay who voiced concerns about deregulation recommendations outlined in the recent Harper Review.I agree that handing over health care to the major supermarkets would be a disaster for the local community. It's too important to hand over to Coles and Woolies.The Pharmacy Guild is currently negotiating a new pharmacy agreement with the Federal Government, including the rates and rules for payment under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.I can’t see Coles CEO, John Durkan, dropping off some little old lady's prescriptions like many local pharmacists do for their bed-ridden patients.I have written to Health Minister Susan Ley, seeking a better deal for local pharmacies by opening new revenue opportunities and rejecting deregulation that would drive pharmacy out of small business and into the major supermarkets.The previous Labor Government breached the last agreement by accelerating rules around price disclosure and that is putting enormous pressure on pharmacies to stay in business.We can’t afford to keep eroding their income without facilitating additional revenue streams.Our highly trained pharmacists are often the first port of call for families with health issues so we need to maintain that level of service and expertise.Local pharmacies are providing a wide range of services for free because they care about their local community and we won’t see that level of commitment reflected in the major supermarkets.