ROYAL Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Queensland Chair, Dr Bruce Willett, is questioning the reasons why the organisation has yet to receive information about the North Queensland Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot (NQPSPP) requested under the Right to Information (RtI) Act 2009.
Willett told the Courier Mail that the RACGP had submitted the request for documentation relating to the trial, including meeting papers and minutes, budget documents and briefing notes relating to the trial, but no details have been released to date.
"This delay is unacceptable," Willett said.
"What has the Government got to hide exactly?
"The (college) lodged an application in Mar this year and then received a Notice of Intention to Refuse the application in late Apr.
"After the application was revised the department agreed to process it but asked for an extension which we willingly granted.
"In early Sep, we advised them that we needed the documents as soon as possible and said that the college would seek review via the Office of the Information Commission if additional extensions were required.
"Then more extensions were requested, a new Principal RtI Officer took over the application, they advised that they were conducting internal consultations and many emails were exchanged and phone conversations took place and on and on and on it went.
"Enough is enough, this has gone on for too long.
"We have gone through all of the proper processes and appear to have been stonewalled."
The RACGP has repeatedly warned that the NQPSPP would fragment care and put patient safety at risk.
Newly appointed RACGP President and Mackay-based GP, Dr Nicole Higgins, said scrutiny of the trial, which is due to get underway in the second half of 2023, was needed more than ever.
"This is not rocket science, if due process has been followed then these documents exist, and it is in the public's interest to know what they contain, especially as this pilot is the product of an election promise rather than responding to a demonstrable public need," Higgins said.
Both the RACGP and the Australian Medical Association walked away from the NQPSPP Steering Reference Group earlier this year (PD 14 Feb).
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