Guild addresses changes
February 17, 2014
THE Pharmacy Guild national
president George Tambassis has
addressed reactions to the changes
made to the Community Pharmacy
Agreement deal struck between the
Guild and the federal government
(PD 12 Feb).
“The simple fact is that the
Government has made clear
there is no more money for these
medication management programs
and that we must work within the
existing Agreement budgets.”
He said the Guild had tried
to find the fairest possible
solution, ensuring the services
were available throughout the
Agreement and accessible by
patients in the greatest need.
There was not sufficient funding
to meet patient demand and
rather than cancel the program
after all the money was spent, the
only viable path was to introduce
caps, which ensured other areas
would not be adversely affected by
overruns in these programs, he said.
A dilemma was that as
community pharmacy moved
towards a greater emphasis on
professional services, limits to
management services redirect the
industry inappropriately.
“But there was no viable option
other than to make these very
difficult decisions.”
When asked about possible
conflicts of interest, a Guild
spokesman said there was none.
“They are agreement funds and
the Agreement is between the
Government and the Guild.
“Normal audit requirements will
apply.”
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