Pharmacists Are Trained To Provide Minor Ailment Treatment

Responding to recent comments in the media on Health
Minister Andrew Little’s suggestion that pharmacists could
play an important role to provide treatment for minor
ailments, the CEO for the Pharmaceutical Society of New
Zealand (PSNZ), Richard Townley, said: “There are many
examples in the community of minor ailments being treated by
the patient’s healthcare team in the most effective and
efficient way.”

For example, women with suspected
Urinary Tract Infection urgently requiring consultation and
treatment can now see their pharmacist immediately and not
wait to get an available GP appointment which, in some
cases, people have reported it can take a couple of weeks to
secure. Urinary Tract Infections often require urgent
diagnosis and same day commencement of a course of
antibiotics to prevent debilitating pain. Pharmacists can
supply patients with prescription antibiotics following
diagnostic consultation. The pharmacists providing this
service are trained and qualified to do so. A Ministry of
Health committee of doctors and pharmacists changed the
rules on 25 October 2022 to enable the prescription medicine
nitrofurantoin to be directly provided by pharmacists to
patients in need following consultation.

Minor
ailments are generally defined as conditions and issues that
pharmacists currently treat and consult with patients on
every day in pharmacy and are professionally qualified to do
so. This ‘first point of contact’ health care model has
already been successfully implemented internationally and
will only bring great benefits to patient care here in New
Zealand.

Pharmacy is at the frontline of the New
Zealand health system. As demonstrated in COVID-19, pharmacy
provides essential face-to-face access six or seven days a
week to meet the needs of the community. The pharmacy
workforce has demonstrated they have the capability,
capacity and competence as medicines experts working across
the health sector. Mr Little’s recent suggestions that
pharmacists may soon be funded to treat minor conditions
reflects the current health system situation where GPs’
are clearly feeling the pressure. This new initiative will
not only ease the GPs’ workload, but, in the end, the
public will benefit enormously, which is what really
matters.
 

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