Page 32 - WHACK35

When naloxone was changed a doctor available to write the “If HRVic had increased
to a Schedule 3 (over the coun- scripts. The other option is for overdose prevention funding,
ter without a prescription) Jane to go to a pharmacy and pay we could travel the State, train
medication it should have made for over the counter naloxone up as many users as possible
it available to more people but it (which is more expensive) but and give out naloxone for free
hasn’t worked out that way – at even if Jane had the funds to buy - just think of the number of
$25 per mini-jet, not everyone mini-jets over the counter, she lives we could save.”
can afford it. It needs to be on couldn’t go into a pharmacy and
the PBS so if punters, family get 10 mini-jets for herself, she
members and friends have health would have to take 10 people to
care cards, naloxone would be get 1 mini-jet each.
much cheaper to buy over the
counter, without a doctor’s script. As Jane says, “We can keep doing
Given this is Commonwealth what we’re doing but it would be
Government business, we need so much better if the State Gov-
the Victorian Government to ernment could pay for the scripts
lobby the Federal Government – but I’m not sure they see cost as
for this change. a barrier”. “We are asking people
to pay for something they might
never need and at the end of the
Currently if Jane goes anywhere day it will be used on someone
to deliver the training she has else, not them, but we expect H RV I C C A LL S O N
to arrange in advance to have TH E V I C TO R I A N
them to pay for it.” G OV E R N M E NT TO:

•LO B BY T H E AU S T R A L I A N
G OVERN M EN T FO R NALOXO N E A S
A N OV ER T H E CO U N T ER
M ED I C AT I O N O N P B S;

•P ROV I D E A D D I T I O N A L F U N D I N G TO
V I C TO R I A’ S D RU G U S ER
O RG A N I S AT I O N (H RV I C) TO EN A B L E
FR EE D IS TR IB U TI O N O F N A LOXO N E
TO V I C TO R I A N S W H O I N J EC T D RU G S
A S A CO M P O N EN T O F OV ER D O S E
P R E V ENTI O N TR A IN IN G .

32 W H A C K P. I E D I T I O N : S P R I N G 2 0 16

WHACK35_LYOT.indd 32 11-Oct-16 4:25:24 PM