Government must dispense with Pharmacy Guild plan to plunder primary care
AMA President, A/Prof Brian Owler, said today that the Government must immediately rule out doing a deal with the Pharmacy Guild to fund pharmacies to provide medical health checks.
The Australian Financial Review yesterday reported that the Guild is planning a multimillion–dollar advertising campaign to back up its lobbying efforts for pharmacists to take over the role of doctors in primary care.
A/Prof Owler said that the Guild is not behaving like a ‘model citizen’ in the health community.
“The Guild is using primary health care as a bargaining chip in its efforts to secure the best possible deal for pharmacy owners – not patients – under the new Community Pharmacy Agreement,” A/Prof Owler said.
“They are proposing that the Government should fund pharmacies to provide cholesterol and blood pressure checks, vaccinations, and devise non-prescription treatments for minor ailments – and, if not, then ask their customers to pay at the pharmacy checkout for these so-called ‘health checks’.
“The Guild has previously set a price of $50 for these services.
“This is a dangerous and irresponsible model of primary care.
“It fragments patient care, and undermines the important doctor-patient relationship.
“General practice is the home of high quality patient care and advice.
“The GP takes a patient history, undertakes a physical examination, initiates interventions and referrals if necessary, and gives the patient preventive health care advice and information – in a clinical and private environment.
“Doctors provide continuous informed follow-up care because not all minor ailments remain minor ailments.”
A/Prof Owler said it is likely that the Guild would try to negotiate a price for this primary care role with the Government as part of the Pharmacy Agreement negotiations.
“The Government would be foolish to consider handing over precious health funding to the Guild for an untested and unnecessary primary care experiment when huge cuts are being made to the mainstream health system, especially in general practice and public hospitals.
“It would be completely unacceptable for the Government to seriously negotiate the Guild’s proposal.
“Every other health practitioner group has to apply to Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) for an assessment for Government funding for their services.
“There needs to be analysis about whether such funding to the Guild would simply add costs to the system, as pharmacists would have to refer patients to doctors for management if a clinical condition was established from the health checks.
“An MSAC assessment of the safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of the Guild’s plans would confirm that GPs are the most effective and cost-effective service provider for primary care and chronic disease management.
“It is time to end the Pharmacy Guild’s monopoly position in using the $15 billion five-year Community Pharmacy Agreement negotiations to secure funding for clinical services.”
A/Prof Owler said that the AMA supports the traditional role of pharmacists as a first port of call for everyday ailments such as coughs, colds, sore throats, and back pain.
“Over-the-counter medicines already have their place in managing minor ailments that they are designed to manage,” A/Prof Owler said.
“These things are being managed as they should be.
“But, as the saying goes, when pain persists, people see their doctor.
“GPs and pharmacists work together at the local community level in providing the appropriate level of care for people.
“There is no need for pharmacies to take over the role of the local family doctor,” A/Prof Owler said.
3 September 2014
CONTACT: John Flannery 02 6270 5477 / 0419 494 761
Odette Visser 02 6270 5464 / 0427 209 753
Follow the AMA Media on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ama_media
Follow the AMA President on Twitter: http://twitter.com/amapresident