Pharmacists are to be given a much bigger role in healthcare under new rules made by the ACT government. The aim is to ease pressure on hospitals and surgeries.
They will be allowed to give vaccinations for a much wider range of illnesses and ailments. Their role in advising walk-in patients will also be expanded.
The ACT government said: "The ACT Pharmacist Vaccination Standards are being amended to allow Canberrans, depending on age to receive advice and vaccines for hepatitis A and hepatitis B, poliomyelitis, typhoid and herpes zoster at their local pharmacy without a prescription."
Since 2016, pharmacists have been allowed to vaccinate people. The movement away from doctors' surgeries and clinics as the venue for a jab was accelerated by the pandemic when the pressure on the system was just short of breaking point.
The Minister for Health Rachel Stephen-Smith said pharmacies "provide a safe, accessible and valued option for Canberrans". There would be training in the skills needed for the bigger role for pharmacists.
"By enabling pharmacists to administer a greater range of vaccines without prescription, we are improving access to immunisation services and helping to protect the community from preventable diseases."
When the expansion of the program occurs in the middle of the month, Canberra pharmacists will be able to inject against flu, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, COVID and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR).
The ACT government said it was also cooperating with New South Wales to see if pharmacists could prescribe antibiotics for uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) which are a common condition in women.
According to the ACT health authorities, "uncomplicated" UTIs can be treated with a short course of antibiotics.
"Enabling pharmacists to assess and initiate treatment for women with uncomplicated urinary tract infections is expected to help patients access treatment more quickly and reduce pressure on other primary healthcare providers," the health minister said.
On the latest changes, Simon Blacker, President of the ACT branch of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, said: "We believe this will ease some pressure on the healthcare system."
"Pharmacists are well positioned to play a greater role in primary health care, and with appropriate further training, can make oral contraception and UTI treatments more accessible for all Canberrans," Olivia Collenette, the president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia in the ACT said.
