Petition calls for reduced APC fee for part-time pharmacists

It would be to the benefit of everyone, including employers, if we could get part-time fees in

The Independent Pharmacists’ Association of New Zealand is asking the Pharmacy Council to reduce the Annual Practising Certificate fee for pharmacists working part time.

Currently, the APC fee is $850 and IPANZ chief information officer Sarah Mooney says this, plus the other costs pharmacists must pay to stay registered, presents a huge financial barrier to pharmacists who wish to work part time as locums.

On 29 October, IPANZ launched a petition on Change.org requesting that the fee be reduced for part-time pharmacists. As of this morning, 174 people have signed.

Mrs Mooney herself has decided not to stay registered as a pharmacist due to costs. She has young children and can only work one day a week, which she says is not economically viable given the high cost of practising.

“I would be working for nothing essentially.”

Mrs Mooney believes there are hundreds of potential locums in similar positions, mostly parents and retired pharmacists, and if it was cheaper for these people to stay registered, they could be assisting with the current workforce crisis pharmacy is facing.

“It would be to the benefit of everyone, including employers, if we could get part-time fees in.”

Including the APC fee, Pharmacy Defence Association fee, Pharmaceutical Society membership (which is now optional), professional development courses, certificates, accountants and ACC levy, just staying registered as a pharmacist costs locums around $3000 annually, Mrs Mooney says.

While some employers pay these fees for staff, locums must meet the costs out of their own pocket.

Many locums are also parents of young children and for them childcare is a significant cost also, and locums do not receive holiday pay or for public holidays.

She says most locums charge around $50 per hour, so they need to be working “quite a lot of hours” before they make a profit.

Mrs Mooney thinks ideally part-time pharmacists’ APC fee could be reduced based on how many hours they can work, with those able to work more hours receiving less of a reduction.

The Pharmacy Council has been asked to introduce a part-time APC fee several times over the past decade but has refused, saying the funding shortfall caused by reducing fees for part-timers would mean APC fees would need to increase for full-time pharmacists.

Responding to questions by email, council senior communications advisor Ewa Adams says the regulator was not aware of the IPANZ survey but is in the process of considering the APC fee and will include some comments on a part-time fee as part of that process soon.