The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) has welcomed the announcement of a national women’s health pilot aimed at improving access to contraception and treatment for uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs).
The national pilot was announced at APP2026 last week by the Minister for Health and Ageing, the Hon Mark Butler MP.
Under the pilot, women aged 18 to 55 will be able to access contraception and UTI medicines directly from trained pharmacists at the same price they would pay for a prescription under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
The 12-month pilot will begin in January 2027 and forms part of the 8th Community Pharmacy Agreement (8CPA).
‘A step forward for equity’
PSA’s National President, Professor Mark Naunton MPS, says the pilot will help ensure pharmacist care is more available to those who need it most.
“This is a step forward for equity,” he says.
“Pharmacists across Australia have been prescribing antibiotics for the treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infections for some time, and pharmacists have reported to us that for some consumers, cost is a real barrier to accessing this service.
“This program will mean that more women can access the health services they need, when they need them most.”
PSA welcome’s pilot
Professor Naunton says the PSA will work with the government to continue removing barriers to women’s health services, including advocacy to standardise variation between jurisdictions that unnecessarily complicate and lead to inconsistency in service delivery between states and territories.
“We currently have 8 different protocols for pharmacist prescribing for uncomplicated UTIs in place across the country, as well as several different protocols for prescribing of hormonal contraception,” he says.
“This pilot will provide an opportunity to remove this duplication and inefficiency through adopting a nationwide approach.
“We will continue to impress the need for better standardisation of the treatment guidelines, which could be achieved by adopting the uncomplicated UTI treatment guidelines in the Australian Pharmaceutical Formulary and Handbook, for example.”
