JB: You don’t work in a community pharmacy now. Why?
KG: The reasons for my changing work were irregular hours and the obligation to work at weekends and during holidays, making it difficult for me to balance my personal and professional life. Pharmacies in Australia are open every day. Longer on weekdays, even until 11 pm.
There are also 24-hour pharmacies, although there are not many of them. Besides, there are Compounding Pharmacies that specialize in the preparation of drugs of all kinds, also under aseptic conditions. Most of the generally accessible pharmacies do not prepare drugs onsite at all or just make simple creams and ointments if needed, but those are prescribed less and less frequently.
JB: Are there only chain pharmacies in Australia?
KG: The vast majority of Australian pharmacies belong to chains, pharmacy & drugstore type. A chain is usually limited to one state, but there are also larger chains, operating nationwide. Private, independent pharmacies operate in outlying regions. It is logical that the larger the chain, the more competitive the prices.
JB: And how about the pharmacy staff? Can people with a professional title other than the Master of Pharmacy work in Australian pharmacies?
KG: Pharmacists work in the “drug” section (dispensary). No more than 20% of pharmacists have Master’s degrees. A Bachelor’s degree is enough to have the right to practice. Dispensary Assistants are available for help. They are persons who took courses training them to write prescriptions and blister pack medication. The assistants do not dispense narcotic drugs. Each blister pack or prescription written by an assistant must be checked by a pharmacist before the drug is handed over to the patient. In the pharmacy section, there are also Pharmacy Assistants who are trained to help with choosing medications that do not require a prescription, such as painkillers, antitussives, etc. They can also dispense previously prepared drugs and work at the cash register. The patient has the opportunity to consult a pharmacist if they need such a consultation. Less experienced Pharmacy Assistants work in the drugstore section, advising patients on the choice of vitamins, supplements, medical devices, and cosmetics.
JB: Are there e-prescriptions in Australia? What are drugs prices?
KG: There are printed prescriptions and e-prescriptions in Australia. The printed prescription has a bar code. When it’s scanned in a pharmacy, on a computer screen we can see the patient’s data and the prescribed drugs. When prescribing drugs on an e-prescription, the doctor sends a QR code (the so-called token) to the patient’s mobile phone number. The patient can send the code by an e-mail to the selected pharmacy if he/she wants to have drugs prepared by a specific date or can show the code at the pharmacy. Most prescription drugs are reimbursed by the national health system called Medicare. There are two levels of reimbursement depending on the financial status or the degree of disability of the patient.
JB: It is so interesting! Can we ask you for a more extensive explanation?
KG: The first degree is available to most of the population with at least one family member working. The government sets the minimum earnings threshold per family member above which people qualify for the reimbursement of the overall cost of drugs. The degree of reimbursement and the prices the patient pays for the reimbursed drugs are reviewed annually and have already changed slightly since January this year. Currently, the fee for each drug from the reimbursement list is up to $ 41.30. Most often it is a monthly treatment with a given drug. The difference between the price of the drug and the specified sum is covered by the government.
JB: This is the first-degree reimbursement, and what are the rules for the second-degree one?
KG: The second-degree reimbursement is for people with lower income levels per family member (applies to both retired and professionally active people) or who have a certain degree of disability. This community group is entitled to the so-called “Health Care Card” or “Concession Card”. The cardholder is assigned a unique number. When the number is entered into the computer system at the pharmacy, the price for the reimbursed drug is reduced to $ 6.80.
