Don't get caught out by medication shortages this winter
West Australian, Perth
Don’t get caught out by medication shortages this winter ANDRIA AIRD
In the current climate, where we are facing a health access and affordability crisis as well as medication supply chain problems, the role of the local community pharmacist has become more important than ever.
According to a recent NAB survey, pharmacists were ranked in the top three most trusted professions in Australia.
Your local pharmacist is a touch point with just about every demographic and at every life stage in the community, from cradle to aged care. We provide health advice, medication management and support to our customers and patients, whether it’s a parent struggling with a new baby’s colic, a primary school child receiving a vaccination, a career woman with lingering flu symptoms needing to get back to work fast, or a senior person battling debilitating arthritis or cardiovascular disease.
Pharmacists really are at the coalface of health care and that’s exactly where we want to be. It’s why most of us got into pharmacy in the first place. We support our fellow healthcare practitioners as one arm of a medical team, ensuring a more holistic approach for patients. This is especially crucial now, as many Australians struggle to access adequate, affordable, and convenient healthcare.
Some of the latest challenges we face at the frontline include predictions of a massive influenza season, based on the fact that the northern hemisphere has had one of its worst flu seasons in history.
While COVID-19 has taken up most of the media limelight, it’s a sobering reminder that in Australia, flu is responsible on average for 3500 deaths a year.
As community pharmacists we are hyper aware of the potential demands of this winter in Australia and are working hard to ensure continuous supply of cold and flu medications, just as we did when we faced supply issues of other common medications earlier this year. Our commitment to protecting the health of our community is just part of why we’re passionate about what we do. Care is in our DNA.
We’ve also recently seen shortages of the popular diabetes injectable, Ozempic, due to its off-label use as an appetite suppressant. Supply chain issues are impacting the availability of certain medications such as this in Australia, so chemists continue to work closely with our supplier partners to ensure we continue providing access as best we can to cold and flu products, diabetes products and other medications for our communities.
It’s important that people have a conversation with their community pharmacist about medication supply, so as we can keep them up to date on which medications may be in shorter supply, and why. We can be clear about having them on a wait list, being fair and prioritising the most vulnerable highest-need patients, such as those with diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
As healthcare practitioners we all want to do the best for our patients. If you have a relationship with your local pharmacist, we can help you
manage your medication, your condition, but more importantly, your overall health.
Page 1 of 1 01 JUN, 2023
Andria Aird is a pharmacist and owner at Blooms The Chemist Port Coogee and Joondalup.
