Australian Medical Association

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) strongly disagree with the decision to reschedule Chloramphenicol eye drops from the Schedule 4 listing to a Schedule 3 medication.

Schedule 4 medications are prescribed by registered medical practitioners or endorsed optometrists.  Schedule 3 medications are available to the public from a pharmacist without a prescription.

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said that first-line eye care is the domain of general practitioners and optometrists, who are readily accessible to patients.

“General practitioners have been specifically trained in clinical diagnosis and appropriate drug use,” Dr Pesce said.

AMA Vice President, Dr Steve Hambleton, said today that calls by the self-medication industry for pharmacists to treat so-called ‘minor ailments’ such as coughs, colds, sore throats and back pain instead of doctors could put people with these ailments at risk of more serious health problems.

Dr Hambleton said that minor ailments are not always minor.

“Respiratory tract infections and back pain are often precursors to more serious conditions and require proper diagnosis,” Dr Hambleton said.

“Doctors are skilled in diagnosis, pharmacists aren’t.