The Pharmacy Guild of Australia (PGA) has announced it will launch a website to help Australians find chemists with Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) in stock after witnessing what it has called a ‘market failure’ that has seen stock scarcity and price gouging become the norm.
Site will pinpoint where and when tests become available
The PGA president Trevor Twomey told the ABC the site will provide a “single source of truth” to deliver information on RAT availability.
“Rather than driving all around or monitoring Facebook accounts or waiting for friends to send a text message, you’ll be able to check in real-time on that website. Pharmacies will have control over putting up who’s got stock and what stock is available.”
The website went live on January 24.
Government blamed for lack of test supply
The news comes as the federal government comes under heavy criticism for failing to provide an adequate supply of RATs to cope with the current Omicron outbreak.
National Cabinet is said to have only confirmed the need for RAT supplies in December when the Omicron outbreak was already taking hold in NSW, despite health authorities warning of a need for the tests some months prior.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Greg Hunt has advised some 70 million tests are expected to land in Australia in the coming weeks. However, the advice is of little comfort to the millions of citizens currently struggling to find RATs.
The scarcity of the tests has caused price gouging to become rampant. Thousands of consumers have reported inflated prices to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), with one reporting a test kit being sold for $500.
ACCC Chair Rod Sims said large retailers found to be selling tests for “excessive prices” could face fines of up to $10 million or 10 per cent of turnover per breach, whichever is higher.
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