Access to the contraceptive pill over pharmacy counters was supposed to make life simpler, so why is it being questioned?
The contraceptive pill is a daily necessity for Caitlin Cranitch.
The Brisbane medicine student was relieved to learn access to her medication would be easier under a new Queensland trial.
The Community Pharmacy Hormonal Contraception Pilot started in August and will mean that pharmacists can prescribe and resupply the pill to women above the age of 16 without a doctor's appointment.
"I'm 23 and it's the only medication that I take, so often the only time I go to the doctor is to get the pill," Ms Cranitch said.
A pharmacist in Woolloongabba is one of the first to participate in Queensland's trial. (ABC News: Shari Hams)
"A lot of people don't actually use it for contraception, it can be used as actual healthcare for people who have things like PCOS [polycystic ovary syndrome]."
According to Queensland Health, one in three Australian women aged between 18 to 44 years of age use some form of contraception, with 83 per cent having used hormonal contraception at some point in their lives.
"I have friends who have endometriosis who use it just to get by," Ms Cranitch said.
"To be able to just go to a pharmacy instead of spending $90 at the GP is pretty good."
But Ms Cranitch has struggled to access the service and said the closest pharmacy to her that participates in the trial so far is about a 30 minute drive across Brisbane.
Despite it being a topic of conversation amongst her friends, she doesn't know anyone who's accessed the service yet.
"There are pharmacies closer to me but having to go half an hour to get the pill is kind of frustrating," she said.
There's 70 pharmacies across Queensland who provide the service within the trial and seven of those are located in inner Brisbane.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Australasian College of Pharmacy Amanda Seeto said she understood the concern of accessibility, but participation was set to increase.
"We have a pipeline of about 150 pharmacists undergoing the training at the moment," she said.
"As pharmacists get more and more of their team trained up, I'm sure we will see more advertising of it.
Loading..."Everyday we come across women who are looking for their contraception, they've either run out or they need to change their pill or something like that."
Stacie Hwang is one of the first pharmacists to participate in the service in the Brisbane suburb of Woolloongabba and said she has prescribed the medication to "about 15 people" so far.
"I'm really grateful we can offer this service in the pharmacy because I think every woman should be able to access the services that they need," she said.
Loading...A fee on top of medication costs
There is a fee of $35.45 for the standard pharmacy consult on top of the purchase of medication.
Queensland Health confirmed the consult would not be eligible for a Medicare rebate.
"There's certainly been advocacy to waiver that fee for certain populations," Ms Seeto said.
"I think there's people like concession card holders that should not have to pay for this service.
"For those who can't afford it, really should have it funded."
There’s 70 pharmacies across Queensland who provide the service within the trial so far. (ABC News: Shari Hams)
In a statement a spokesperson for Queensland Health said the Queensland Community Pharmacy Hormonal Contraception Pilot is planned to continue until June 30, 2025.
Loading..."An independent evaluation of the pilot will be conducted, with the report due in September 2025. The results of this evaluation will inform future availability of the service," the statement read.
The statement did not address the issues raised by the ABC, which included questions on the accessibility of the service or cost concerns raised by pharmacists.
The newly appointed health minister Tim Nicholls was contacted for comment and a spokesperson said the program is a commitment of the new government.
Doctors' association says women deserve GP access
Australian Medical Association President Doctor Nick Yim, who previously worked as a pharmacist, said the association did not support the program.
He believed that women should go to their doctor instead.
Loading..."Women across Queensland deserve equal access to see a health care professional regardless of where they live, but at the same time convenience should not be the overriding measure for health care," he said.
Dr Yim said that some patients could miss important health concerns.
"A prescription for contraceptive pill is not just that, it requires education, obviously education in regards to sexual consent at the same time screening for sexually transmitted infections," he said.
"Also being able to provide opportunities for other contraception techniques available."
The pill service costs up to $68.10 for a long consultation. (ABC News: Shari Hams)
But Ms Seeto disputed those concerns and said pharmacists were required to do adequate training to provide the service.
She said many women struggled to get a GP appointment and this service gave appropriate accessible healthcare.
"It's anyone who is requiring access to healthcare in a timely manner, so in the metropolitan areas often it's just a matter of being able to access healthcare after hours, so late at night or on the weekend," she said.
"But in the regional areas, people are waiting three, four, five weeks for an appointment with the GP.
"Having a pharmacy as an option to provide that initial service will be a real game changer for those people."