Work continues to 'close the gap' in access to medicines

A continued robust partnership between the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia will see improvements in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people getting the prescription medicines they need, along with tailored advice and assistance.

At a national joint QUMAX and S100 forum in Melbourne this week, over 250 delegates discussed the need to integrate three vital programs that support medicine access and quality use of medicines for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population.

Justin Mohamed, the Chair of NACCHO, said that all delegates supported the three programs as working well within their services and providing substantial benefits to the Aboriginal community nationwide.

The three programs that the delegates affirmed their support for are:

• the 100 supply and support programs for remote area Aboriginal health services
• the QUMAX program for non-remote Aboriginal Community Controlled Health services
• the Closing the gap PBS co-payment relief measure.

'This forum proved that the networking of Aboriginal health services with prescribers, pharmacies and allied health professionals will produce outcomes to progress the continued improvement of these programs towards quality use of medicines for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and that will be one more step to close the gap,' Mr Mohamed said.

Source: National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation

Links

• View media release: Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and the Pharmacy Guild continue to Close the Gap in access to medicines
• View website: National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO