The Pharmacy Guild of Australia says the Palaszczuk Government’s intention to seek Commonwealth Government support for the ‘down scheduling’ of the contraceptive pill is nothing new.
The Commonwealth Government changed the rules on 1 September 2013 to allow pharmacists to supply one full pack of the contraceptive pill.
“While ‘down scheduling’ sounds great, the PBS subsidy for S4 medicines associated with the oral contraceptive and other contraception medications needs to be maintained,” says Pharmacy Guild of Australia Queensland Branch President, Professor Trent Twomey.
“Our advocacy efforts have brought us to this point but there is more work to be done if Queensland women are going to have the same access and ease of service as women in the UK, New Zealand and parts of Canada.”
Professor Twomey says that a better solution lays in minor changes to the current Drug Therapy Protocols.
“… and I would urge the Government to move now, as ‘down scheduling’ could take years.”
Professor Twomey adds, “In 2018 there were over 20,000 potentially preventable hospitalisations in Queensland due to urinary tract infections and kidney infections.”
“Additionally, around one in two women will experience a urinary tract infection in their lifetime and nearly one in three women will have a urinary tract infection needing treatment before the age of 24.
“If left untreated, a urinary tract infection can become a kidney infection, so it’s important to seek treatment as early as possible.”
