Pharmacists and their valuable role in our health care system are often forgotten, sidelined in the ongoing debate about GPs, bulk billing and Medicare.

But why? Your pharmacist can give you great health care advice about minor health issues. Plus, a visit to your pharmacy won’t cost you any money, doesn’t need an appointment and is open daily, unlike your GP clinic.

A pharmacist isn’t qualified to diagnose health complaints or medical issues. Nor can they write prescriptions for medicines. That’s the responsibility of a trained medical doctor.

However, pharmacists are trained in medicines. They are your go-to source about your medications and any possible side effects. They can recognise many common health complaints, and can offer on-the-spot advice, dispense over-the-counter or non-prescription medicines, and discuss your medications with you.

You can ask your pharmacist about the following complaints:

• Skin conditions such as mild acne & mild eczema
• Coughs colds, nasal congestion & sore throats
• Minor cuts & bruises
• Constipation & haemorrhoids
• Hay fever & allergies
• Aches and pains, such as headaches, earache & back pain
• Indigestion, diarrhoea & threadworms
• Period pain & thrush
• Warts & verrucas
• Mouth ulcers & cold sores
• Athlete’s foot
• Nappy rash & teething
• Blood sugar monitoring
• Blood pressure monitoring

Over-the-counter medications and pain relief can relieve many of these conditions. While you’ll need to book an appointment with your GP to determine any underlying causes, the symptoms can often be managed with non-prescription drugs or ointments available at your pharmacy.

When you head to the chemist to fill out a prescription from your GP, make sure you discuss any medications before leaving the pharmacy.

Questions you should ask about your medications:

• How to take the drug – with food or without?  How regularly?
• How to store the medication – in the refrigerator?
• What sort of side effects should you expect?
• Are there any precautions you should take such as avoiding driving, alcohol or certain foods?

There are a number of services that your pharmacist can help you with today.

Sick leave certificate

Did you know that a pharmacist can write you a sick leave certificate? It will usually incur a small fee, but it’s much easier than booking an appointment at your GP for a medical certificate.

Antenatal advice

Pharmacists can give advice to new parents about caring for a newborn. Ask your pharmacist about feeding, nutrition and baby care. You can also get your baby weighed.

Post-operative care

If you’ve just had a medical procedure, a pharmacist can give you advice on dressings and pain relief.

Home visits

If you are elderly or infirm, your community pharmacy can offer over-the-phone advice to people unable to come to the pharmacy. Home visits are also an option in some cases.

Medical history

Establishing a relationship with a pharmacist or chain of pharmacies will allow you to access a complete history of your family’s prescribed medications on their computer database.

Your local pharmacist is a valuable ally in navigating our health care system, so it’s worth finding one you can trust. Your local pharmacy can save you time, money and give you access to valuable health care advice when you need it, fast.

Yellow Pages has listings of nearly 10,000 chemists and pharmacies, listed from right around Australia. Find a local health care expert that you can trust, today.