More than 6 million Australians will have access to free rapid antigen tests from today, but pharmacists fear widespread supply shortages mean they will struggle to meet the demand.
Earlier this month, and under sustained demands to make rapid antigen tests (RATs) free for all Australians, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced concession card holders would be able to pick up tests from their local pharmacies.
Pensioners, veterans and low-income earners are among those allowed up to 10 free tests in a three-month period, with a maximum of five tests in a month.
Demand for COVID-19 testing surged over summer and the shift by state and territory governments to allow the use of rapid tests put incredible pressure on already limited supplies.
The situation is yet to improve, with RAT stocks selling out almost as soon as fresh deliveries arrive.
Chris Freeman, president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA), said pharmacies were having to put on extra staff just to cope with enquiries.
"The demand is extreme and pharmacists are being pushed to the limit with this at the moment."
National cabinet agreed to reimburse pharmacists $10, plus GST, for every RAT they provided to concession card holders under the scheme, with an additional $4.30 handling fee for every transaction.
With global demand for tests outstripping supply, the PSA said a rate of $15 per test would be more appropriate.
"Those tests are extremely rare at the moment, which does push up the price — so the $10 plus GST [reimbursement] is a challenge, in terms of making sure that the pharmacies can buy them in at a price equal or lower to that," Dr Freeman said.
But there is another issue the PSA argued would put more pressure on their members' bottom line.
"If you're purchasing quite a number of these tests, you might be out of pocket substantially for a month while you're waiting for those reimbursements to come in."
The PSA believed forcing pharmacies to battle it out on the open market for RATs made it all the more difficult.
"In the ideal world, we would have these tests supplied into pharmacy from government, rather than the pharmacists themselves trying to source the supply, Dr Freeman said.
The federal government insisted national cabinet would regularly review the reimbursement rate, to ensure it kept up with the price for RATs.
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said part of the shortages of RATs was because people were hoarding them.
"A lot of the time it's even corporations or businesses that are buying up more than they require, it's part and parcel," he said.
"Hoarding has been a factor and we've got to make sure we manage that," he said.
"You manage by finding the problems and working your way through them."
Health Minister Greg Hunt's office maintained supply pressure would ease in coming weeks, with some of the nation's biggest pharmacy groups expecting 16 million RATs to be available through to the end of January, and another 33 million in February.
Over the weekend, Mr Hunt also pointed to the Commonwealth's own orders for tens of millions of tests – despite criticism the federal government's entry into the market has distorted prices.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said the demand on tests would ease soon, with 16 million tests expected in pharmacies between now and the end of January, and 33 million to be delivered next month.
Mr Hunt also noted that pharmacists were reserving RATs for vulnerable groups.
"We've worked with the Pharmacy Guild and what we're seeing is all the participating pharmacists are putting aside tests and I think that's really important," he said.
"I spoke to one pharmacy chain CEO yesterday … where they were expecting to have 500 packs of five tests available in the vast majority of their pharmacies which had been put aside specifically for pensioners, concession card holders, low income healthcare card holders and our veterans, and we're seeing that across the system."
The federal opposition argued it was not good enough and highlighted a lack of planning by the Commonwealth.
"Remarkably, Scott Morrison says it's not his job to supply tests to the pharmacies in the first place," Shadow Health Minister Mark Butler said on Sunday.
"Yet again, refusing to take responsibility to deliver his own policy and pretending it's all someone else's job.
"Millions of Australia's pensioners and pharmacies will be left high and dry by another failure by Scott Morrison to just do his job."
