Reconciliation is not just a word, it’s a call to action. For policy makers and community pharmacy this must be grounded in a commitment to health equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Despite decades of effort, the health gap remains stark. Life expectancy is lower, chronic disease rates are higher, and access to culturally safe healthcare is still far from universal. Access to regular GP’s is lower, wait times are higher resulting in a higher likelihood of presenting at an emergency room. These are not just statistics—they are the lived realities of too many First Nations families.
Community pharmacies are uniquely placed to be part of the solution. We are on the ground, serving as the most accessible health contact point—especially in rural and remote areas. In 300 towns in Australia community pharmacy is the only frontline healthcare provider. But accessibility alone is not enough.
We must ensure that our services are culturally safe, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of Indigenous Australians. That will mean different things in different places. But one thing is universal: it must be resourced and funded effectively to be properly embedded within practice. We must recognise and elevate the role of community pharmacists in these areas to manage chronic diseases; treat everyday health conditions and act as an access point to other services.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have higher levels of trust in community pharmacy. This isn’t an accident. There is the ongoing strong desire for living with culture and traditional ways within a modern-day setting. Community pharmacy has capacity to enable this within its existing infrastructure, workforce and especially through expanding the services available in pharmacy.
But the programmes and systems in place to support and grow this work are dysfunctional. There are arbitrary, universal financial caps in place – despite it costing significantly more to travel, live and work in our remote communities.
The government must get serious about improving health outcomes and closing the gap. Insufficient funding, broken programme design and limits to the healthcare community pharmacy can provide are no longer tolerable.
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia is calling for the government to review, and increase, funding to reflect the true cost of delivering culturally safe, high-quality care; Expand eligibility criteria to include more health services supporting Indigenous communities; Streamline administrative processes to reduce barriers for participation; Invest in workforce development, including training and recruitment of pharmacists in Indigenous health settings.
If we are serious about reconciliation, we must be serious about resourcing the solutions.
