Jan 18, 2022

Pensioners miss out as pharmacists told to purchase rapid antigen tests for government’s ‘free’ test scheme

Pensioners free RATs

This follows the government warning it will not supply the free tests to chemists, and the pharmacists not knowing how much they will be reimbursed for each test.

The prime minister said the government will not provide rapid antigen tests for pharmacies as part of its plan to supply free tests to pensioners. Instead, he said pharmacists should source the tests themselves.

“They’ll come through the pharmacies and the pharmacy is responsible for securing their private supplies to meet that demand,” Scott Morrison said.

The government has not released details about how the scheme will work, but it is expected pharmacies will be paid a fee for tests they hand out – however, pharmacies are uncertain how much they will receive.

By contrast, pharmacists, and other vaccine providers, order vaccines from the government directly – they don’t have to purchase them through commercial suppliers.

Patrick Carrig, who runs Adelaide’s Carrig Chemists, told The Guardian he is angry with the government.

He placed one order for RATs on Christmas Eve, but they have still not arrived.

Carrig will not place an order to fulfil the government’s new scheme until he knows how much pharmacies will be paid for each test and how long they will have to wait before receiving payment.

“We are expected to source our own tests and then provide them at whatever the government is willing to pay.”

Carrig said many pharmacies will not be able to afford to buy large numbers of RATs and give them out for free, waiting weeks to receive payment.

As a result, he said some pharmacies may decide not to take part in the scheme.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Palliative Care – The Struggle Between Dignity and Distress

When discussing palliative care, the most common patients that people imagine are cancer patients. However, palliative care is not exclusively just for cancer patients – it’s for any kind of terminal illness. One study looked to find four non-cancer populations that might benefit from a palliative approach. What was found was that people with ALS,... Read More

Not one person has been vaccinated in this Melbourne aged care home

With the vaccine rollout continuing to fall further behind targets, some aged care homes have still not administered a single dose – to staff or residents. Now, one facility in St Kilda, Victoria, has started to push back. Read More

Healthcare workforce “decimated” as COVID-19 forces workers away for months

The ABC’s Q&A continues the national conversation about aged care. How did it go so wrong? Australia’s national broadcaster has once again shone the spotlight on aged care, illuminating the longstanding problems in the sector that have contributed to the current crisis unfolding in Victoria, and delivering on-the-ground insights from clinical experts. The panel on Monday’s Q&A consisted... Read More
Advertisement