Feb 26, 2025

Should pharmacists be able to provide the pill over the counter without a script?

Should pharmacists be able to provide the pill over the counter without a script?
A new national trial could see pharmacists supplying the pill over the counter—no GP visit needed. [iStock].

As we head towards a federal election, the Labor government recently announced a funding package worth A$573 million for women’s health.

The funding includes $100 million to support two national trials for pharmacies to provide the oral contraceptive pill and treatments for uncomplicated urinary tract infections over the counter.

The question of whether or not pharmacists should be able to provide the oral contraceptive pill without a prescription from a GP has long been a topic of debate.

We asked five experts for their thoughts. Should pharmacists be able to provide the pill over the counter without a script?

Four out of five said yes. Here are their detailed responses.

The Conversation

Phoebe Roth, Health Editor, The Conversation

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.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

  1. If a Woman is already on the contraceptive pill then I suppose it would be ok as long as the Woman’s health is fine!

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

App-based protocol to help fill oral health knowledge gaps in aged care workforce

Health researchers have received crucial funding to develop a new app-based protocol to improve the oral health and well-being of residential aged care residents and address knowledge gaps among the aged care workforce about the importance of oral health care. Read More

Bupa Requests Amnesty for Aged Care Homes When Reporting Elder Abuse

Elder abuse is a critical issue in aged care homes, with thousands of cases reported to the Health Department every year. More recently there have been a number cases reported in the media of elder abuse from aged care staff, as well as other residents. In 2016-2017, there were 2853 reports of “reportable assaults’’ and... Read More

If Your Facility’s Dining Room was a Restaurant, Would Your Residents Eat There?

When I visit residential aged care facilities, it doesn’t take long to get the feel for a place, as I have mentioned before here and here.  The same is true in the dining room – it is often reflective of the organisational culture.  Interestingly, dining rooms can have their own sub-culture and differ between dining rooms even within the same facility. Our starting point... Read More
Advertisement