Tasmanians are older, sicker, poorer and more likely to live in a regional or rural area than Australians in other states.
They’re also less likely to routinely see a general practitioner (GP), and more likely to go to an emergency department.
In a bid to make it easier for Tasmanians in remote rural areas to get the healthcare they need, the Tasmanian government plans to allow pharmacists to prescribe medications in some circumstances.
It would be a first for Australia.
Under the proposed changes, it’s likely a GP would diagnose a patient and create a treatment plan for them.
The GP would then delegate their prescribing power for that patient to a local pharmacist, who would be able to prescribe medications to the patient based on the treatment plan.
A similar approach will be taken for aged care home residents, with the residents’ GPs delegating their prescribing power to a pharmacist.
The move follows a review of what pharmacists are allowed to do in Tasmania.
Health Consumers Tasmania (HCT) was one of the stakeholder groups that contributed to the review.
Both the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and the Pharmaceutical Society of Tasmania have welcomed the change.
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) said it needed more detail about the pilot program.
The AMA has expressed similar concerns about trials held in Queensland and Western Australia.
(ABC)
