Moama Village Pharmacy pharmacist Clint Flanigan said new rules had been put in to place limiting pharmacies to dispense only a month’s supply of prescription drugs due to an unprecedented demand on medications.
However, he said the problem had alleviated itself a few weeks ago.
“We saw bulk and panic purchasing on the mind of consumers and pharmacies which saw major retailers having a short-term reduction on stock,” he said.
“For weeks people couldn't get things like ventolin, but it seems to be getting back to normal now.”
The biggest challenge now was adapting to a new way of operating amid the social distancing rules.
“Community pharmacies are used to face-to-face and personal interaction,” he said.
‘‘Our consulting room is usually full for seven hours a day as was our beauty room, which has obviously had to close.
‘‘As for our professional services, he have transitioned to Telehealth but that has its limitations so we’re trying to find a balance which can be challenging. Sometimes we need face-to-face to contact to ensure the information is understood.
‘‘It’s a matter of giving people a quality service while maintaining distance.’’
Mr Flanigan said the shop itself was still open and big enough to allow for social distancing.
‘‘It’s rare that 15 people come in at one time,’’ he said.
‘‘We’ve set up the shop so the flow of people is unilateral and there are Xs marked on the ground which people use. If they are full, people will wait outside.
‘‘It’s a change in shopping behaviour and we’re seeing less people congregating.’’
Mr Flanigan said the biggest transition for the pharmacy was information delivery.
‘‘We are registered for e-subscription but it’s really come 12 months too late,’’ he said.
‘‘At the moment it’s a paper-based set-up where people bring in a hard copy script. In the future, you will have an e-token on a device which will allow you to send a copy to your pharmacy.’’
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