NPS MedicineWise welcomes Mark Butler MP as the Minister for Health and Aged Care

NPS MedicineWise welcomes Mark Butler MP’s appointment as the new Minister for Health and Aged Care. The new expanded health ministry of the Albanese Government demonstrates its commitment to addressing the challenges facing the healthcare and aged care sectors.

NPS MedicineWise CEO Katherine Burchfield says the organisation shares the Albanese Government’s commitment to improving access and equity.

“Healthcare and aged care should be there for all Australians, especially the vulnerable, giving support where the need is greatest.

“Supporting people with poor mental health, older Australians and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are focuses of current NPS MedicineWise quality use of medicines (QUM) programs,” she adds.

Health literacy is an important barrier to equity and access to high quality care and was the topic of this week’s National Medicines Symposium – the NPS MedicineWise annual national conference around the quality use of medicines.

“Four out of ten Australians are not able to read and understand important information about their medicines,” says Ms Burchfield.

“But the sector has a crucial role to play. Participants at the conference called for the healthcare sector to take responsibility and work together to ensure we build an environment that supports health literacy and the quality use of medicines more generally,” she says.

NPS MedicineWise welcomes the Labor commitment to review the way QUM is delivered in Australia, including the role of NPS MedicineWise – the steward of QUM in this complex and critical environment.

“This is a new post-pandemic world with exciting innovations in medicines and healthcare, but also growing tensions between access, affordability and safety,” says Ms Burchfield.

“In this new environment and context, the need for a QUM steward independent from any particular health professional discipline and from Government is more important than ever.

“We look forward to working together with the Albanese Government and stakeholders across the sector to ensure the ongoing quality use of medicines in Australia,” she says.