It’s no secret that the costs of living are rising.
Combined with the rising cost of food and fuel, it’s feared that the rising costs of medicines are putting many of these medicines out of reach for a lot of Australians.
Recent research by Insightfully, conducted on behalf of the community pharmacy peak body, has found that more than one in 10 people have gone without prescribed medicines because they could not afford them.
“What this means is that there is no real universal access to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), which is the foundation of our health system,” says National President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Professor Trent Twomey, adding that the current “situation is damning”.
“Research shows that more than 20% of people aged from 18 to 64 describe prescription medication as unaffordable,” he says.
“Most people in this age group are general patients, who are paying up to $42.50 every month for each PBS medicine they are prescribed since the co-payment went up again on 1 January.
“At the current rate of increase, these Australians will find themselves paying nearly $50 a month for some PBS medicines in the next five years.
“With the cost of living outpacing the wage increases, more and more Australians are going to find themselves having to choose between buying the medicines they and their families need and paying the rent, mortgage or other household essentials.”
Professor Twomey says people and families requiring regular use of multiple PBS medicines should not have to choose which medicine they forgo, or which family member will do without, so they can afford to have prescriptions filled.
“There is a danger in people not being able to afford their medicines,” he says.
“As community pharmacists at the front line of healthcare, we are concerned about the implications for the individuals and their families.”
