The Albanese Labor government is bringing in 60-day dispensing, with little to no consultation with pharmacists, which puts rural and regional pharmacies at risk.
This change means pharmacists will be made to dispense double the medicines to some patients for a single dispensing fee.
Most pharmacy income comes from the dispensing fee they receive from the government.
Pharmacies use dispensing fees to run their business, open after hours and at weekends and provide services like blood pressure checks, medicine delivery to elderly or housebound people, baby weighing and after-hours advice when you've nowhere else to go.
Everyone is in agreement about considering ways to reduce the cost of medicine; however, it should not be at the expense of pharmacy services in rural and regional Victoria.
The Albanese Labor government must return to the table, consult with pharmacists and reframe the Community Pharmacy Agreement.
