Julie Fletcher and her husband Mark spent a decade building a thriving community pharmacy in the remote Tasmanian tourist town of Strahan.
But the business was thrown into disarray when Mr Fletcher – the only registered pharmacist of the two – suddenly died after a stroke last year.
Ms Fletcher cannot legally open her doors without a registered pharmacist and has relied on a series of locums while she tries to find someone to take over the business.
"It's a nightmare, not to mention costly," she said.
"You have to pay their airfares, travel, accommodation and high wages — we're talking up to $75 an hour, plus super.
"For a small town pharmacy, it's really hard."
The financial and logistical juggling act fell into a heap this week and Ms Fletcher was forced to close for several days because she could not find anyone to step in.
She hoped to access the Rural Locum Assistance Program (LAP), which provides locums for remote healthcare practitioners who have no-one to cover their leave, but says she has been knocked back because she is not a registered pharmacist.
"They cover a range of people, like doctors, but not pharmacy assistants or owners of pharmacies," she said.
"It's totally unjust, it's totally unfair."
Emergency options
The Rural LAP program was established in 2016 to improve worker retention, access in remote communities and to help practitioners take leave for professional development.
A spokesperson said it provided "direct support to pharmacies needing to back-fill short-term clinical positions", while the Emergency Locum Service provided locums in situations such as "death of a pharmacist, illness, bereavement or family emergencies".
Ms Fletcher said she understood why a registered pharmacist was needed to open her business, but not why she was ineligible.
"I can't understand why I can't get funding for four weeks a year because I'm not a pharmacist," she said.
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff raised the matter in a letter to Federal Health Minister Mark Butler on Tuesday.
In the letter, he said Ms Fletcher had kept the pharmacy open for "at least a few days a week" through "determination, goodwill and the support of the Tasmanian branch of the Pharmacy Guild".
"I ask that you consider Julie's circumstances for assistance by the Rural LAP and consider whether exceptional circumstances like those experienced in Strahan may be considered for this valuable service," Mr Rockliff wrote.
Locum costs rise
Pharmacy Guild of Australia state president Helen O'Byrne said rural pharmacies were already struggling to attract workers before COVID-19 exacerbated the situation.
She said the worker shortage was pushing up the price of locums and creating additional pressures for small town pharmacies.
"It's a market response to scarcity," Ms O'Byrne said.
"Because there's not many around, the price has gone up significantly and it does make it ever harder."
Ms O'Byrne said the guild was advocating for measures to address the shortfall, including easier pathways for migrant pharmacists and incentives for graduates, but she said the sector's "huge issues" could not be solved easily.
"There are so many economic and environmental factors, including a low unemployment rate and a lack of pharmacy graduates, and all those issues need a multi-layered response," she said.
"Lots of different levers need to be pulled to try and get any sort of resolution."
Despite the emotional and financial burden of keeping Strahan Pharmacy open, Ms Fletcher is reluctant to simply leave town until she can find a new pharmacist to take over.
"The Strahan community is so supportive of us that there's no way I'd close the doors on them," she said.
"It's a motivation and passion for me now.
"Because I've done it for a year, I'm not going to give up."
