(L-R) Leanne Marshall owner and pharmacist at Gee's Pharmacy Taradale with Stacy Lloyd pharmacy technician handing RATs to punter dean Conroy. Photo / Paul Taylor
(L-R) Leanne Marshall owner and pharmacist at Gee's Pharmacy Taradale with Stacy Lloyd pharmacy technician handing RATs to punter dean Conroy. Photo / Paul Taylor
The manager of a pharmacy serving as a collection site for Rapid Antigen Tests says staff are copping abuse and "ratty behaviour", while another pharmacy had a brick thrown through its window.
Hastings Unichem manager and pharmacist Alex Chan said they opted to be a collection site for RATS asit was a service they could provide for their customers.
Chan said on March 4, when the phone went off auto answer, the demand for RATS began and later increased, and has been constant since.
"We had to continuously service customers collecting the subsidised RAT outside the pharmacy with non-stop phone calls about them on top of our usual workflow."
Being on the frontline dealing with "ratty people" was unpleasant on top of having to wear full PPE, "drenched in sweat", trying to read and type through fit-tested masks and visor.
"But when we faced the odd person who ended up joining the queue, not knowing what they were queuing for or needed to do to get an order for collection, it posed instantaneous delay and conflict on both ends where we were expected to immediately serve, troubleshoot and solve their demands."
He said there was "poor chain of communication" from the Ministry of Health from the day the admin system updated and changed, to the "behavioural management" of incoming traffic where the number of people turning up expecting to be handed out a RAT without an order "increased by the hour".
"It became clear by the end of the week that you are damned if you do and damned if you don't provide this service."
Upon appeal, the Hawke's Bay DHB provided the pharmacy with two administrative staff to help out, along with a security guard.
The other side
Pharmacist at Westshore Pharmacy Karen Ng said the pharmacy opted out of being a collection site when they realised how much pressure they were put under.
"The rollout of free Rapid Antigen Tests to the general public was an outright disaster from the pharmacy's point of view."
She said when the agreement was rolled out, they had agreed to a very specific contract which included critical workers with close Contact exemptions, who were vaccinated and asymptomatic.
"Controlled, documented and barely paid 50 cents but a necessity to keep the country moving," Ng said.
"What was worse than the public showing up first thing before doors were even open, to demand free tests with no documentation, then abusing us for it, was that there was zero warning to us that a procedural change in RATS collection points was coming."
Suddenly they were being "abused and the phone was ringing off the hook and everyone and their mother, father, cousin, step-sister and half brother could order multiple tests online with zero proof they were close contacts or just using the system for free tests.
"After that first day I went home crying and I immediately opted out of being a collection site completely."
Rapid Antigen Tests. Photo / Paul Taylor
She said she and her colleagues have experienced abuse and threats from the public including one pharmacy having its window broken by a customer throwing a brick in when they had run out of tests to give out that day.
"Some pre-planning, DHB or City Council Involvement is crucial to ensure your primary healthcare workforce, especially vaccinating pharmacies, should not have to bear the full weight of as we are already so close to burn out and striking."
Ministry of Health responds
A Ministry of Health spokesperson said it's "ultimately a business decision" for each pharmacy, whether they retail RATs or not.
"During the shift to RATS as our primary testing modality, DHB's offered pharmacies the opportunity to become RAT collection sites through an expression of interest process.
"The Ministry always engages with national pharmacy sector organisations and DHB reps ahead of any changes."
The Ministry acknowledged the rapid spread of Omicron, the need for work to be completed at pace and the mahi of pharmacies to support the public health response.
"Given the high demand for testing, the Ministry has continued to ask the public to be patient and to be kind to staff distributing RATS."
They said about 480 pharmacies have currently opted in to providing funded supervised testing and there are approximately 20 pharmacies currently acting as RAT distribution sites through contracts with their local DHBs.
Collection site Gee's Pharmacy, Napier said they had not had a bad experience but understood how the demand in certain areas could get overwhelming.
Owner Chris Marshall said he and his wife had the capacity and staff to be a collection site for RATS so opted-in.
"Majority of people have been really really good. In the last 10 days or so we have handed out approximately 2000 RAT kits."
Meanwhile, Hawke's Bay has 597 new cases of Covid and 24 people in hospital.
On Saturday Hawke's Bay had 730 new Covid cases, with 23 people in hospital.
The Ministry also announced 14,494 new community cases on Sunday, 896 people in hospital with the virus, and eight Covid-19 related deaths.
Over the weekend New Zealand ticked over the grim 100th Covid-related death mark with the total number of publicly reported Covid-related deaths to date on Sunday being 113.
