MEDIA RELEASE 31 May 2022
Peak industry body calls on new government to maintain investment in the medicines supply chain to meet future public health challenges.
[Sydney, Australia] The National Pharmaceutical Services Association (NPSA) today welcomed the appointment of The Hon Mark Butler MP as Minister for Health and Aged Care and said it looks forward to working constructively with the Albanese government to deliver on its health agenda.
The NPSA is the peak body representing the medicine wholesalers, responsible for the safe and equitable daily distribution of PBS medicines, vaccines and pharmacy products throughout Australia, under the Community Pharmacy Agreement (CPA) and the Community Service Obligation (CSO).
NPSA Chair Richard Vincent said, “We warmly congratulate Mark Butler on his appointment as Health Minister. Having previously served in senior health related portfolios Mark has a clear understanding of the issues and we wish him every success as the new government works to sustain and improve the health and wellbeing of Australians, wherever they may live. We also congratulate Ged Kearney, Emma McBride and Senator Malarndirri McCarthy on their appointments to health focused portfolios.
“We are ready to support the new government in addressing critical ongoing challenges in health and in planning for the future needs of Australians. Our members provide a national infrastructure that is at the heart of medicines access – a highly dependable system and one on which the country’s ability to respond to future crises will rest.
Maintaining the investment that provides certainty in healthcare is our priority including ensuring people in rural, regional, and remote parts of Australia do not fall behind but continue to have guaranteed access to medicines, whether it be for everyday pharmacy products or high care drugs requiring the speciality handling provided by NPSA members.”
Underpinned by the certainty of funding allocated in the 7th Community Pharmacy Agreement (7CPA), NPSA members continue to invest significantly in our country’s health infrastructure including a national network of 35 state-of-the-art distribution centres. Over the last 10 years more than $750m has been dedicated to upgrading and establishing world class capabilities that provide efficiencies to government and reliability to the community.
“The NPSA aims to work with Minister Butler to highlight the capabilities of our members whose work during COVID-19 was essential to supporting community pharmacy and managing medicine supply on which every Australian from Hobart to Broome can rely.
“We have every confidence that the NPSA and its members will establish constructive and transparent working relationships with the new government which has already signalled health as a priority in its first term,” Mr Vincent said.
Contact: media@npsa.org.au