Pharmacy Chamber Misses "Courage for Change" in New Government

Within the existing legal framework and budgetary means, "immediate effective improvements" could be achieved, said Chamber of Pharmacists President Ulrike Mursch-Edlmayr at the Pharmacists' Congress in Schladming. The government or social insurance must "take this into their hands." There is a need for action in prevention, telemedicine, and patient management.

"We demand a nationwide prevention account for every Austrian," said Mursch-Edlmayr in an interview with APA. Everyone would be provided with preventive tests or vaccinations, or risk individuals for certain diseases would receive specially tailored preventive examinations. This could appear on the e-card and serve as a reminder "and I have an overview of what is being utilized."

Last year, nearly 5,200 diabetes tests were conducted in 50 Carinthian pharmacies in collaboration with the state of Carinthia, Mursch-Edlmayr cited as an example. "In the process, 1,923 cases of prediabetes and 178 cases of diabetes were identified and referred for medical care." In a test campaign in Vienna, 15 percent of study participants were found to have prediabetes and five percent had diabetes. The costs of undetected diabetes-related complications amount to several tens of thousands of euros per year per patient. In contrast, a blood sugar test in the pharmacy, including personal consultation, costs only about 25 euros.

Pharmacists' Conference: Telemedicine as Patient Management

The government program of ÖVP, SPÖ, and NEOS states that the telemedicine offering should be expanded, but there is no concrete measure for this, criticized the Chamber of Pharmacists President. She called for the introduction of a telemedicine insurance practice, initially at least during off-peak times from Friday afternoon to Saturday noon.

If it is determined in a pharmacy that a patient needs medical care and the doctor is not available, the patient should be able to connect directly with a telemedicine doctor in the pharmacy. To assist, the pharmacy could provide the doctor with laboratory data from modern analysis devices if needed. The doctor would make a diagnosis, issue an e-prescription, and the patient could leave with an appropriate medication from the pharmacy after about a quarter of an hour instead of possibly visiting a hospital first. "This is a very efficient and elegant way to manage patient flow," said Mursch-Edlmayr.

According to their agreement, the three-party coalition wants to examine the introduction of undefined health guides. "We have 7,000 pharmacists who are already doing this and can do it even more comprehensively," said the Chamber. The pharmacy is often the first point of contact.

"Good Basis for Dialogue with Everyone"

The government program "outlines areas of topics," but there are few to no measures on them, nor on the planned expansion of health literacy, according to Mursch-Edlmayr. Whether the establishment of a dedicated State Secretary for Health in the social department will strengthen the health sector remains to be seen. "The basis for dialogue with everyone is good," emphasized Mursch-Edlmayr. There is no shortage of ideas for improving healthcare, but it is important that any potential implementation is discussed openly and broadly. "We need a health summit with all health professions and top representatives from politics and social insurance as soon as possible. The upcoming challenges can only be solved together," emphasized the Chamber of Pharmacists President.

(APA/Red)

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