Monash study adds pressure for rural exemptions
Research from Monash University has added to calls to loosen pharmacy ownership rules after finding some rural, remote and outer suburban communities do not have reliable access to dispensing services.
The report appeared in the Australian Journal of Rural Health. It found current ownership restrictions are not working as claimed in some parts of Australia.
The Royal Australian College of GPs wants governments to consider exemptions or other ownership models in places where pharmacy services are unavailable or at risk.
Monash University report
RACGP Rural Chair Associate Professor Michael Clements said rules designed for cities are blocking care in towns that already struggle to recruit and keep health workers.
“Patients in rural and remote Australia deserve the same access to medicines and healthcare services as people living in our major cities,” Associate Professor Clements said.
Under current arrangements, GP clinics and other local healthcare providers have limited ability to step in when a community cannot attract a pharmacist willing or able to buy a pharmacy business.
According to the RACGP, that can leave patients with limited local dispensing services or none at all.
Associate Professor Clements compared pharmacy rules with medical practices across Australia, which already operate under a range of ownership models.
He argued that pharmacy policy should show the same flexibility when a suitably qualified pharmacist can work within a healthcare service that meets regulatory and professional requirements.
The RACGP said many rural communities face workforce shortages across multiple health professions, including pharmacy and general practice.
In rural Western Australia, some GP-led services have established dispensaries to support communities without pharmacies.
However, those services often operate without access to the same funding mechanisms and support available to traditional pharmacy businesses.
Associate Professor Clements said communities need practical solutions that put patient care first when local pharmacy services are at risk.
He also said governments should support access for patients rather than keep barriers that no longer reflect the realities of rural healthcare.
The RACGP is pressing governments to work with rural doctors, pharmacists and local communities on reforms that protect patient safety while improving medicine access.
