Showing posts with label prescriptions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prescriptions. Show all posts

Drug Subsidies Taken Away From Pensionsers

The Australian government is in Goo Goo land with its health service. Cutting funds while spending on the odd "party belief" thing seems to be the order of the day. It is taking tens of billions out, then spending a billion on a stupid, fruitless idea.
Health Minister
Don't I love it when I make you stupid old foggies pay?  Ah, ah, ah!
It says it will end hepatitis C in Australia by spending on specific target drugs - over five years! Nothing is eradicated in just five years. It takes decades to half a century to stop a prevalent disease, and it will still come back occasionally.

The government is following a policy of robbing Peter to pay Paul by subsidizing high end expensive drugs while taking many basics off the PBS scheme that pensioners rely on. Members of this government simply don't care as long their misguided belief that the market will solve all is promulgated when they lash out here and there with unfathomable foot in mouth decisions.
◆ Politics by Ty Buchanan ◆
 Australian Blog
●
            Australian Blog ★  Adventure Australia
ALL BLOG ARTICLES· ──► (BLOG HOME PAGE)
politics party health drugs medications pensioners pbs scheme subsidize articles news politics economics society anthropology historiography history sociology people nations country asia europe africa u.s. south america central Mediterranean eastern western interesting funny technology free news

Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Drug Companies and Pharmacists are Overly Protected

New medical discoveries are pushing the cost/patient envelope as more low-end subsidized drugs are taken off the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and new $1,000 plus a week treatments are being added at the top end. Rationally, it is obvious that this will result in fewer patients benefiting.

Recently, I went to the pharmacy with a script for a medication that I assumed was still subsidized. The chemist arrogantly said drug companies are not making profit any more: you should pay the $60.00. I responded saying, how do you know anything about my finances and if you believe pharmaceutical firms need sympathy you are absolutely stupid and unfit to be in the profession.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott kissing butt
Upon leaving the shop I thought I shouldn't have said that. However, on consideration I believe that I was right. It needed to be said. Pharmacists are a protected breed. They make millions when the government pays them full-recommended list price which it is set artificially high by drug companies. New Zealand showed that when offered an ultimatum of what a government can afford to pay the companies will buckle and sell needed medications are a lower price. Australia should also give an ultimatum so that consumers can pay a fair price.

Patent law gives drug firms a monopoly to set the market price as they see fit, whether patients can afford it or not. Economic teaching shows that a manufacturer can make more profit by holding the price high so only the wealthy can pay. Of course, if you have a prime minister who blindly believes in the market, a market that is deemed to be free and open which it isn't, this is what you get. Bend over and the PM will k... your ass!
◆ Health by Ty Buchanan ◆
●
            Australian Blog ★  Adventure Australia
ALL BLOG ARTICLES· ──► (BLOG HOME PAGE)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
tony Abbott kissing butt pharmaceutical company drugs medication pharmacies chemist profit patent monopoly
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Give that Kat His Codeine Man!

People are throwing tantrums about being refused addictive pills from pharmacists. This comes at a time when the federal government is setting up a system of "policing" morphine based medications. If patients are frustrated by over the counter tablets what are they going to do when refused prescriptions?

Codeine is the drug of choice for most. Because it is freely available and not officially restricted one can understand the frustration when a sale is refused. It is not much use for pharmacists to call police. Giving people police records is going to make them more antisocial.

Telling people not to use Nurofen Plus for a headache is stupid. The public thinks, "Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot take?" - and rightly so! Pharmacists are not trained to deal with the public. They only learn chemistry, mostly irrelevant at that in today's prepacked world.

Monitoring purchases is a silly idea. It is another layer of costly bureaucracy that the public must pay for. If they are that serious then have it prescribed by a doctor, who now write scripts for extra strength, forte, codeine. That will take the pressure off pharmacists and put it on the doctor. GPs will not thank pharmacists for that.

Pharmacists know that having all codeine put on prescription will reduce sales so they are not calling for this. They want more talk. Yes, talk always helps - if you really want a solution that will reduce sales.

At the moment chemists are judging codeine buyers by the way they are dressed. Put on a suit and you can have as many codeine tablets as you want. I always thought pharmacist are a bit "thick". This confirms it.
Health by Ty Buchanan
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,

HIV Reaching Record Levels in Australia

It seems Mankind hasn't moved far away from its ancient existence - living in a literal "bath" of disease.  All other living things live in hostile environments, if not from predators then from a plethora of diseases.

Antibiotics are losing their efficacy.  They no longer work.  There are only a few that are effective against hospital acquired infections (HAI).  Furthermore, it will be a shock to many that there is still no real treatment for fungal infections.  Once you suffer from fungal problems you have to keep on applying various ointments.

Australia has reached a dangerous point in regard to HIV.  Last year new HIV infections rose to their highest point in 20 years.  Because younger people are experimenting with sex, this is the group contracting the disease at the highest level.  Infections have been increasing since 1999.  It is now at a rate of 24 per cent a year, from 10 per cent in 1999.

Despite attempts to destigmatize the way HIV is contracted, the reality is that 60 per cent of new infections are between consenting males.  Perhaps there is a strong case for allowing marriage between same sex couples.  This would reduce philandering to a significant degree.  Otherwise, we could see some countries introducing a register of those with the disease and major penalties for intentionally infecting others.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Health by Ty Buchanan
     Australian Blog★                         
ALL BLOG ARTICLES· ──► (BLOG HOME PAGE)
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Pharmcists Should Stay Out of Mental Health

Pharmacists should stay out of health treatment and do what they do best - glorified clerks. They have no training in curing disease. Their education is solely based on chemical analysis. They are scientists not physicians. Ask their advice and they tell you what is written on the packet.

Now the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia is saying pharmacists are qualified to treat people with mental illness. They may "give" drugs to such patients but they do not prescribe them. Heaven help us if they get involved will-nilly in advising those with mental disorders. Having someone continually talking in your ear about how to take your prescription medicine it not going to help one recover.

Doctors need direct contact with a patient to give the greatest assistance. Having a pharmacist in the middle is only going to mess things up. A mental patient is already stressed. Saying pharmacists will reduce medication errors is implying that they have qualifications to oversee physicians. Obviously, they do not have such expertise.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Health
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts ( Atom )