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Health groups call for dying patients to receive free pain relief amid critical medicines shortage

Palliative Care Australia

Key health organisations have released an 11 point plan to address ongoing shortages of critical pain relief medicines.

In an open letter to Members of Parliament with a medical background, the group makes a strong case for urgent action, including the removal of PBS patient contributions for medicines supplied under the Palliative Care Schedule – making the medicines free to patients and families.

The group includes:

Palliative Care Australia

Australia New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine

Palliative Care Nurses Australia

Advanced Pharmacy Australia

Pharmaceutical Society of Australia

Aged & Community Care Providers Association

Pain Australia

Frustrated by the long running shortage of essential palliative care medicines, the group’s joint letter paints a heartbreaking picture of pain and distress at the end of life.

“It is so sad that this hasn’t been addressed and managed properly. As someone with an elderly mother needing regular Ordine, the stress of accessing it has exacerbated our stress,” one carer told Palliative Care Australia.

“Having to change to different medications at this stage of people’s lives is very challenging for them as the alternatives are often not as effective,” another carer said.

In the letter, cosigned by some of Australia’s foremost clinicians, the escalating nature of the crisis is made clear; “many of the affected medicines are vital opioid analgesics that have been used for decades to manage severe pain and other symptoms in palliative care patients. With the supply of these medicines becoming increasingly uncertain, clinicians are forced to prescribe less effective alternatives, resulting in less reliable pain relief and risking unwanted side effects,” the letter says.

“Families, already grappling with the emotional toll of a loved one's decline, are often left navigating these disruptions, with the added stress of figuring out alternatives, often at substantial financial cost where alternatives are not available on the PBS.”

Despite representations by this group to the Minister for Health, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and the Department of Health and Aged Care, there has been little progress toward ensuring a stable supply of these life-changing and essential medicines.

With the joint letter to parliamentarians, the group has also released an 11 point plan to help those responsible break this deadlock and bring certainty to patients and the sector more broadly.

“The cost of fully subsidising medicines on the PBS Palliative Care Schedule, medicines which have typically been used clinically for decades, is very low compared with the billions of dollars the Government spends each year on subsidising the cost of newly introduced medicines,” the groups says.

“With 1.3 million scripts filled under the Palliative Care Schedule in 2022-23 (93% on a concessional basis), it is estimated the cost to the Australian Government would be $14.8 million per annum.”

All seven organisations and signatories want to work with the government and parliamentarians to fix this issue – an issue that has gone on for too long.

The full '11 point plan to resolve shortages of palliative care medicines’ is available on the Palliative Care Australia website and through the supporting organisations listed.

'Better access to critical palliative care medicines' is one of the four pillars to Palliative Care Australia's campaign leading up to the 2025 Federal Election.

Lending her voice to the campaign is much loved performer and author, Jean Kittson.

Current data presents a confronting picture of access to palliative care in Australia now and in the future. On our current path the situation facing people and families living with terminal illness is critical and will only get worse. 

Jean's recent experience around the death of her mum and dad is testament to that. Jean’s full story is available to watch and read HERE, you can also sign PCA’s petition or share your own story as a way of showing support for ‘better access to palliative care'.

Contact details:

Ian Campbell

P: 0417 482 171

E: Ian.Campbell@palliativecare.org.au