Industry leaders are critical of the Federal Government’s decision to end the concessional access program for Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs), calling the move disappointing.
Nick Panayiaris, Acting National President of The Pharmacy Guild of Australia says the decision to end the scheme by the end of the month flies in the face of the growing number of Covid cases being reported across Australia.
“To end the concessional RATs scheme seems at odds with everything being done at the moment,” he said.
“If the scheme is removed it will add pressure to government testing hubs and also potentially add to delays in accessing antivirals – delays that could see patients unable to get these medications within the required five days of symptoms appearing.”
Dr Fei Sim, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) National President says this move not only puts vulnerable Australians at risk but also sends the wrong message to the public.
“PSA is very concerned about the Federal Government’s plan to cease concessional access to RATs at the end of the month. It sends the wrong message to the public,” she said, adding that the “pandemic is not over, and the threat of serious illness is still there for many”.
Dr Sim also says that a positive RAT or PCR test is necessary for people to access antiviral medicines, so “we can’t simply remove the main method of testing that’s accessible to these vulnerable groups”.
Both the Guild and PSA “support an extension of the concessional RAT program” and “ask the Government to reconsider their decision”.
Mr Panayiaris says that ending the concessional RAT program is a “backward step at this time”.
“[It’s] one which undoubtedly will have long-term negative effects in our ongoing fight to manage the virus,” he said.
“The value of the scheme can be seen in the fact that community pharmacies have delivered more than 58 million RATs to 5.6 million patients.”
Under the concessional scheme those eligible for the tests include people holding:
- Pensioner Concession card.
- Commonwealth Seniors Health Care card.
- Health Care Card (including Low Income Health Care card.
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold, White or Orange cards.
Mr Panayiaris continued: “The use of RATs to help identify people who may have Covid-19 is critical and to reduce or remove access for such a large group of people can only add to the problems being encountered.
“With the upsurge in cases, combined with winter ailments such as the flu and colds, it is important for people to be able to use the tests to quickly identify if they possibly have Covid-19, and if they do, to immediately take appropriate action.”
Calling on the extension of the concessional RAT program, Dr Sim added: “We also call on the Federal Government to restore funding to the Covid-19 Home Medicines Service, allowing Covid-positive patients to safely access the medicines they need from home.”
The PSA strongly supports other important messages to help Australians stay safe, including staying up to date with Covid-19 vaccination, staying home when sick and wearing face masks in indoor public environments.
