00:02From June, the role of chemists in providing contraceptive care to women over 18 in NSW will expand.
00:09For women, contraception is not a nice-to-have, it's an essential. This is fundamental daily healthcare.
00:16And this is a really practical way that we can save women time and save women money.
00:22The state government says allowing pharmacists to prescribe the pill will take some pressure off GPs
00:27and the consultation will often be cheaper than seeing a doctor who doesn't bulk bill.
00:32We anticipate that the consultation fee will range from $20 to $60.
00:37Chemists have already been allowed to prescribe antibiotics for uncomplicated urinary tract infections
00:42and resupply some contraceptive pills after they've initially been prescribed by a doctor.
00:48It's really important to say that pharmacists aren't replacing GP.
00:51This is just another option for pharmacists to play their role in the community.
00:56But the Royal Australian College of GPs says it's a potentially dangerous development,
01:00especially for women who've never taken the pill before.
01:04With any medication comes side effects as well.
01:07So the key thing or the concern here is with the oral contraceptive pill,
01:11as with other medications, there are risks associated with it.
01:14I'm confident that highly trained pharmacists with an additional training period
01:20will be able to do this in a way that's safe, effective and works for women.
01:25Pharmacists prescribing the pill will have to complete an additional graduate diploma.
01:29While more than 770 New South Wales chemists are currently registered to resupply the pill,
01:35the government estimates only about 60 pharmacists will be qualified
01:39by the time the new prescribing scheme begins.
01:41Addê² ìŠµë‹ˆë‹¤.
01:41However, part 2
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