Women suffering from urinary tract infections will be able to continue getting treatment through pharmacies, after a trial in NSW.
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Any NSW pharmacy with suitable facilities and training for staff will be able to give consultations and prescriptions for UTI medications from June 1, allowing women to avoid a trip to the doctor.
More than 16,000 women got treatment during the one-year trial and Pharmacy Guild NSW president David Heffernan labelled the initiative "a win for women, doctors, pharmacists and patients".
"There's a whole list of things where people fall through the cracks," he told ABC radio on Tuesday.
"Being able to access a health professional at your convenience and get the condition addressed properly - as it should be - is a great thing.
"Ultimately, it's a win for the women of NSW."
Women between 18 and 65 are eligible for pharmacy treatment if their symptoms are consistent with an uncomplicated UTI.
The NSW government paid $20 per consultation during the trial, but pharmacies will now be able to set their own fees on top of medication cost under the ongoing program.
A comprehensive evaluation of the trial is still under way with a final report to be delivered to the government early in 2025.
Health Minister Ryan Park flagged changes to a similar trial that gave women access to the contraceptive pill through pharmacies.
To be eligible, women between 18 and 35 must be taking a low-risk pill and have been using it continuously for at least two years.
"I'm not happy with the numbers that we're getting there ... so we'll be making some adjustments to the criteria and the training that goes along with that," Mr Park told industry representatives at parliament on Tuesday.
"This is all part of a deliberate attempt to try and intervene in healthcare and make it as easy, efficient, safe and effective for people to access it."
The NSW government has previously flagged adding more medicines to its pharmacy prescription trial, including treatments for common skin conditions.
It has been hailed for removing the need for people to repeatedly visit GPs, particularly in rural areas where access is often limited.
But doctors' groups have criticised the pharmacy prescription moves as being a backward step in protecting patients' health.
Australian Associated Press
