THE Remote and Isolated Pharmacist Association Australia (RIPAA) has welcomed the WA Government’s initiative to subsidise the cost of training for expanded scope of practice, in particular the higher subsidy offered to rural pharmacists in MM3-7 (PD 22 Jul).

However, concerns remain that underserved rural and remote areas will likely lag behind cities and larger regional centres in terms of pharmacist prescribing services and broader scope of practice.

“It’s the small towns and remote areas where pharmacist prescribing and other expanded pharmacy services are most desperately needed, given the shortage of GPs and other healthcare services,” said a spokesperson for RIPAA.

In the WA town of Northampton, the local pharmacy will be the sole permanent healthcare provider available to the community after it loses its only GP on 31 Jul.

However, Joanne Loftus, the local pharmacist who has served the community for the past 20 years, told RIPAA she is unsure whether she will be able to take on the training, due to costs and the constraints of running the town’s only pharmacy.

Loftus is also concerned that her patients may not be able to afford the services, as they are not covered by Medicare.

For pharmacist scope of practice to be successful in towns like Northampton, RIPAA said governments must ensure that there are appropriate supports in place for the pharmacies outside major hubs, especially the remote and isolated sole operators in MM5-7, to provide these services.

“This includes training subsidies but also appropriate funding to deliver the services in disadvantaged areas where most patients are concessional and will struggle to afford the out-of-pocket costs of user-pays healthcare services,” RIPAA said. KB

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