Pharmacists could receive public funding to dress wounds, deliver vaccinations and give weight loss advice under a $19 billion deal between the Abbott government and the powerful Pharmacy Guild.

Under the five-year agreement, announced by Health Minister Sussan Ley on Monday, patients could pay $1 less per script from July under a change the government hopes will promote greater competition among pharmacists.

"There is an opportunity for pharmacists to step into the primary care space, but we are doing this carefully and in an evidence-based way": Health Minister Sussan Ley. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

It will be up to pharmacists to decide whether to offer the $1 discount, and pharmacists that do offer the discount would have to absorb its cost.

The government expects the optional discount, which is opposed by the Pharmacy Guild, to save taxpayers about $360 million over the life of the agreement, due to fewer patients qualifying for free medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme safety net.