CHEMIST Warehouse has blasted the "heavy-handed" regulation of pharmacy in Australia, particularly the ownership and location rules, saying the sector needs a "free hand to encourage a competitive approach to pharmacy, in line with consumer demand and other retail industries".
The pharmacy giant has made a submission into the current Qld inquiry into the establishment of a pharmacy council and transfer of pharmacy ownership (PD yesterday), including an estimate that the Pharmacy Guild currently represents proprietors of less than half of the pharmacies in Australia.
'It is farcical to suggest that pharmacist only ownership results in a better calibre of owner...it is equally farcical to suggest that corporate or non-pharmacist individuals who may choose to own a pharmacy would be of a lesser moral character," the CW submission states.
"Overseas examples have demonstrated that once market limiting regulations are removed, outcomes are improved for industry participants but more importantly for consumers," the company said.
The submission acknowledges that ensuring access to medicines at affordable prices, particularly for disadvantaged consumers, is an important matter of public policy.
"However, the present policy settings not only fail to serve this end, but are preventing competitive market conduct that would be more effective in delivering more medicines at lower prices to more consumers."
The submission cites a range of overseas examples which demonstrate that deregulation of "draconian" ownership and location rules which interfere with consumer-benefiting commercial behaviour distort the market and "represent a serious risk to the stability of the industry long term".
View it at parliament.qld.gov.au.
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