Residents in Mullewa worried as pharmacy shuts door

A $100 million Federal Government plan to help keep medication accessible in regional and remote communities was unveiled this week, but it could be too little, too late for Mullewa residents, who look set to lose their sole pharmacy in the new year. The Geraldton Guardian visited the town a week after news broke the chemist was closing, with elderly and disabled locals opening up about their fears their health services are fading away. Mullewa resident Maree Burke has no means of getting to Geraldton and suffers from an illness that affects her mobility and requires much medication. She said the pharmacy closure would be just one in a series of punches, which have left her feeling anxious her town would not be able to meet her basic health needs. “It makes my blood boil,” she said. According to the 2016 census, Mullewa has a population of 447 people. But City of Greater Geraldton chief executive Ross McKim estimated the figure was closer to 650 because many Mullewa people likely either didn’t take part in the census or live on surrounding farms. Despite the smaller population, research shows a heavy burden of chronic disease. The Heart Foundation recently revealed people in the Mid West, Gascoyne and Goldfields were the most likely to smoke in WA and the second most likely Statewide to die of a heart health-related issue. Mullewa’s only GP Dr Nalini Rao and medical assistant Megan Curtis said opening a small dispensary was a top priority since they found out La Croix Pharmacy would trade for the last time on January 10. They said not all residents were in a position to make the 200km return trip — or more than two hours — to pick up medication in Geraldton. A WA Country Health Service spokesperson said people who presented as patients to the hospital would receive necessary medication. Dr Rao said the hospital was a solution for people in emergencies, but could not help those who suffered from chronic illness and required long-term medication. “It leaves me with no choice. I have to do it,” she said. If Dr Rao receives approval from the Federal Health Department to dispense medication, she will be one of 10 GPs operating under that arrangement in the country. On Tuesday, Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt announced an overhaul of the program supporting regional and remote pharmacies, promising $100 million to the cause. “Our Government’s commitment to ensuring Australians can access affordable medicines, when they need them, remains solid as a rock,” he said. Unfortunately, the funding boost came too late for La Croix Pharmacy owner Michel Ibrahim, who said he even tried giving his business away for free, but didn’t receive a single offer. However, since the Guardian first reported the story earlier this month a man from Northam had contacted Mr Ibrahim to express an interest in taking on the lease. At the time of publication, no firm plans had been laid. Mr Ibrahim’s wife and fellow pharmacist Berta Ibrahim is managing the chemist while he looks for work elsewhere. She said it had been upsetting to speak with customers, who were all sad they were leaving. For many, losing the store simply ripped open old wounds left by the closure of the town’s State-funded aged care beds in 2018. Lorraine McIntyre, another Mullewa resident, said the lack of residential aged care beds had caused her family to suffer, and the pharmacy closing added to that anxiety as, in her 80s, she couldn’t drive to Geraldton. The WACHS spokesperson said “service continuity in Mullewa has been maintained for all new and existing clients” through at-home care since the hospital stopped taking aged care residents. Mrs McIntyre cares for her chronically ill husband Peter, who suffers from dementia. When the Geraldton Guardian visited Mullewa, Mrs McIntyre claimed she was receiving one hour of support a week. After the paper inquired about her situation, she said the hospital offered further support and contacted her about repairing her bathroom. The State health service performed works on her shower in 2014 that left her bathroom constantly flooded, leading to her husband falling and badly bruising himself a few weeks ago. The WACHS spokesperson claimed the works were delivered in line with relevant standards, but that the “clinical needs of the patient” had changed. “WACHS continues to work closely with the patient and their carer to ensure their needs are being met,” she said. But Mrs McIntyre feels those in charge don’t care about older people. “You just wonder why they can’t give us a bit more help,” she said.