For the 600 residents of Milawa, a small town in north-eastern Victoria, there is no hospital, no local GP and no public transport, but there is a pharmacy.<\/p>\n
Sherwin Kashani has been the owner for more than a decade.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“People come in to me needing all sorts of things,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“That’s when I have to go beyond what I would normally be expected to do as a pharmacist.”<\/p>\n
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Sherwin Kashani’s pharmacy is the only healthcare practice in town. (ABC News: Coco Veldkamp)<\/p>\n
‘A healthcare black spot’<\/p>\n
Mr Kashani said his pharmacy served a wide region, often making him the only easily accessible health professional for nearby towns, especially with his seven-day service.<\/p>\n
“The nearest regional centre is Wangaratta, which is about 20 kilometres away,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Then southwards, there are no doctors at all between here and Mansfield, which is about 100km [away].<\/p>\n
“Elderly people may not be able to drive that far and there is no public transport.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
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For residents of Milawa, seeing a GP means having to organise transport to a regional centre. (ABC News: Coco Veldkamp)<\/p>\n
According to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data<\/a>, people living in regional and remote areas are more likely to delay or not see a GP when needed than those living in major cities.<\/p>\n And they are 6.6 per cent more likely to visit a hospital emergency department.<\/p>\n Taking on more<\/p>\n In October 2023, the Victorian government launched the Community Pharmacist Program (CPP) pilot, allowing participating pharmacists to treat conditions such as shingles, resupply certain contraceptive pills, and deliver a range of vaccinations, without a doctor’s visit.<\/p>\n According to a report<\/a> by the Department of Health, during the 12-month pilot pharmacists provided more than 23,000 services and no serious safety concerns were reported.<\/p>\n This year’s Victorian budget confirmed the program would become permanent from July 1, with $40 million in funding.<\/p>\n Milawa pharmacy aims to stock supplies that other rural pharmacies may not have. (ABC News: Coco Veldkamp)<\/p>\n But not everyone is on board<\/a>, with some medical professionals arguing pharmacists are not trained to diagnose complex conditions.<\/p>\n Still, by 2026, pharmacists in Victoria will be able to offer 22 different health and wellbeing services.<\/p>\n Of the more than 830 participating pharmacies, about 27 per cent are in rural or regional areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Local pharmacies play a valuable role in our health system, especially in regional Victoria,” a Victorian Department of Health spokesperson said.<\/p>\n On average, Australians visit a community pharmacy 18 times a year. (ABC News: Coco Veldkamp)<\/p>\n ‘Nothing in town other than us’<\/p>\n One of the services planned to be added to the CPP is oral care, a healthcare gap that has recently been illuminated by a La Trobe University study<\/a>.<\/p>\n Researchers interviewed 11 rural pharmacists and found they were offering oral health advice up to three times a week on topics such as brushing habits, fluoridated toothpaste and dietary changes.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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