Great news for gals who use the oral contraceptive pill in New South Wales — you’ll now be able to get up to 12 months of the pill without a new script.
The changes come after the success of the NSW contraceptive pill trial which kicked off from September 2023. The trial allowed women between the ages of 18 and 35 to refill their supply of oral contraceptive pills without needing to head back to the doctor.
From Saturday, this scheme will be made into a permanent fixture to reduce the stress on the state’s healthcare system. However, it will be expanded to include women from 18 to 49.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has heralded the trial as a “huge success” and is hoping that by making it permanent, it’ll help women across the state cut down on costs.
“We know that people across NSW are doing it tough right now, even cutting back on essential healthcare because of affordability,” Minns said.
“At a time when seeing a GP can be difficult, we hope that this service will make it a little bit easier for women to access affordable healthcare, where and when they need it.”
He’s absolutely right, especially now that it’s become increasingly hard to find doctor’s clinics that bulk bill due to cost of living price hikes for doctors and clinics.
Although this outcome is great for women on the pill who want to take as much of the mental load out of managing their contraceptive needs as possible, some doctors aren’t too jazzed by the government’s new moves.
The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) claims that the changes have “potentially devastating consequences” because women aren’t getting needed check-ups by their doctors as much as they should.
“This is politically driven policy and it has potentially devastating consequences … due to the risks of incorrect treatment and serious illnesses being missed,” the RACGP NSW chair, Dr Rebekah Hoffman said, per The Guardian.
“The NSW government is kidding itself if it thinks this move will do anything to reduce pressure on the state’s overflowing hospitals.”
However, Health Minister Ryan Park claims that the trial led to no “adverse activity” in participants’ health and assured that pharmacists would be receiving “stringent” training to administer low-risk, approved pills as part of the scheme.
“By empowering pharmacists to undertake consultations for these common conditions and medications, we can help improve access to primary care services which will relieve the pressure on the state’s busy GPs and our hospital system,” he said.
“We are working with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and Pharmaceutical Society of Australia to ensure pharmacists have the support they need to continue delivering best practice and connected primary care.”
According to the Pharmacy Guild of Australia’s NSW branch senior vice-president Catherine Bronger, pharmacists are welcoming the change.
“Making the availability of the pill at community pharmacies is the right thing for women and our communities,” she said, per The Guardian.
Minister for Women Jodie Harrison has praised the scheme, referring to it as “a real win” for women.
“Women’s timely access to quality health services, their health needs and sexual and reproductive health is a priority for the NSW Government,” she said.
While this scheme is currently only available for residents in NSW with a similar counterpart in Queensland, there’s a trial currently underway in Victoria.
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