Pharmacists urge Telehealth reinstatement amid worsening fuel crisis

April 23 2026

 

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) is urging the Federal Government to immediately reinstate Telehealth for Home Medicines Reviews (HMRs) as the current fuel shortage is beginning to impact patient care.

 

Thousands of credentialed pharmacists throughout Australia routinely travel to patient homes to provide HMRs, but with petrol prices skyrocketing and pumps running dry, pharmacists say people will die if they can’t access this lifesaving service, particularly those in rural and remote communities.

 

PSA National President, Professor Mark Naunton MPS, said the reinstatement of Telehealth is vital to patient health.

 

“Credentialed pharmacists are driving hundreds of kilometres every week, visiting homes and aged care facilities, supporting our most vulnerable Australians as they conduct medication reviews,” he said.

 

“These pharmacists are visiting patients battling terminal illness and those living with chronic disease, many of them elderly and isolated.

 

“The support these patients need, such as medication reviews, is becoming rapidly unsustainable amid the current fuel crisis, unless the government reinstates Telehealth.

 

“We know Telehealth worked effectively and efficiently during the COVID-19 pandemic, so why not now?”

 

Credentialed pharmacist from Queensland, Karalyn Huxhagen FPS, who regularly drives long distances visiting patients in rural centres, says Telehealth must be brought back as a matter of urgency.

 

“The fuel crisis has made it impossible to deliver medication reviews in Western Queensland, and with no increase to the travel allowance for several years, the cost of travel and accommodation has made the program non-viable,” Ms Huxhagen said.

 

“On top of the cost, the inability to access fuel consistently is a constant concern, as I am providing services to tiny communities and all deliveries have been reduced in the current economic environment.

 

“I cannot maintain a program at a loss. I am a sole contractor who must now close my business and leave patients without the medication support service that has been in place since 1998.”

 

Gippsland pensioner, John Maugher, is heavily reliant on his local credentialed pharmacist as he is virtually housebound, living with complex, chronic health issues and being legally blind.

 

“A Telehealth appointment to keep tabs on my health if reinstated as a temporary measure would alleviate my increasing distress and feelings of isolation,” said Mr Maugher.

 

“It is also unfair on Australians who live outside cities and don’t have access to other forms of support.”

 

The reinstatement of Telehealth is part of a broader suite of reforms the PSA is advocating for to ensure all Australians receive fair and equitable access to care.

 

 

Media Contact: Leah Jacobsen

M: 0480 099 798 E: Leah.jacobsen@psa.org.au 

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia is the only national peak body that represents all of Australia’s pharmacists across all practice settings. We want every Australian to have access to the best healthcare, and this must include optimising access to pharmacists’ knowledge and medicines expertise at the forefront of our healthcare system.