The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia has welcomed the Federal Budget
announcement to extend the cover of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme to
appropriately qualified and credentialed nurse practitioners and eligible midwives.

Under the new arrangements, these senior nurses will be authorised to write
prescriptions for certain drugs that will attract all the benefits of the PBS for their
patients.

The National President of PSA, Warwick Plunkett, said the decision by the Government
would increase public access to quality health-care and free up doctors to perform more
critical medical duties.

“The nurse practitioners who are authorised to undertake these prescribing functions
are educated to a Masters level and are recognised as Nurse Practitioners by the nurse
regulatory authority in their State or Territory,” Mr Plunkett said.

“PSA understands that eligible midwives will be subject to similarly stringent standards.”

Mr Plunkett said the development of private practice/consultant nurse practitioners had
been restricted by the absence of PBS cover.

“Currently if authorised nurses did prescribe, the consumer would be charged full cost
for the medication,” Mr Plunkett said.

“This has been a major disincentive to the growth of the practice and a barrier to
equitable access for consumers.

“The decision to extend PBS cover to nurses prescribing medications is a commonsense
move which will enhance the wellbeing of consumers, including those living in
rural and remote areas.”

The PSA believes pharmacists are ideally placed, given their grounding in therapeutics
and quality use of medicines, to prescribe in the near future.

Source
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia