THE Health Department has staunchly defended the procedures undertaken by the Review of Pharmacy Remuneration and Regulation (PD breaking news), in answer to a claim of conflicts of interest by the Pharmacy Guild.
A formal statement was issued late yesterday afternoon, with a spokesperson for the Department saying it had been "made aware of certain claims made in regards to the due diligence of the Review Secretariat in procuring an international literature review".
The spokesperson said all procurements conducted in relation to the Review had been performed in line with departmental guidelines "to ensure accountability and transparency in decision making".
In this case Deloitte had previously undertaken work for a number of stakeholders - including pharmacy banner groups and the Pharmacy Guild itself, the spokesperson noted.
Because these engagements had been completed the Department did not consider Deloitte's prior experience represented an actual conflict of interest.
The consulting firm also defended itself, saying its internal controls ensured there was no conflict, and that the Review engagement did not involve providing recommendations or advice.
Guild Executive Director David Quilty urged the Review to "immediately publicly release all the materials related to the commissioning of Deloitte so this very serious issue is accorded the necessary levels of transparency and accountability."
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