00:00Kaitlin Cranich is among the 200,000 Australian women per year who choose to use the contraceptive
00:11pill.
00:12The medical student was relieved when she found out access could get easier, with a
00:17pilot pharmacy program underway in Queensland.
00:19To be able to come and also get the medication that you need, which otherwise you can't get
00:24unless you go to a GP, pretty good.
00:27The 23-year-old has struggled to access the service, with her closest pharmacy not part
00:33of the pilot.
00:34There are pharmacies closer to me, but to have to come half an hour just to get pills
00:38is kind of frustrating.
00:39Across Queensland there are 70 pharmacies currently involved, seven are in Brisbane.
00:45Females over 16 have access to the service.
00:48150 pharmacists are in training.
00:51As pharmacies get more and more members of their team trained up, I'm sure we'll see
00:55more advertising of it.
00:57A standard pharmacy consult fee of $35 will remain in place.
01:02There's certainly been advocacy to waive that fee for certain populations.
01:06I think there are people such as concession card holders shouldn't have to pay for this
01:11service.
01:12Stacey Huang is one of the first Queensland pharmacists to participate and agrees the
01:16fee should be waived.
01:18With the cost of living rising every year, absolutely.
01:23Queensland Health says the pilot program will continue through until June.
01:27The future of the service will then be assessed in a report handed down in September, but
01:32it wouldn't comment on whether the cost of the service would be subsidised.
01:36The Australian Medical Association believes women should see their GP instead.
01:41We feel that there's opportunity for women when they do see their GP is to have a full
01:46history examination.
01:48Other states are also trialling the program.
01:51New South Wales recently made it permanent.
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