YESTERDAY'S public hearings in the Queensland Parliamentary Inquiry heard a wide range of evidence, with witnesses including TerryWhite Chemmart ceo Anthony White, Damien Gance from Chemist Warehouse and Productivity Commisssioner Stephen King, who chaired last year's federal Review of Pharmacy Regulation.
A key theme was the current under-utilisation of pharmacists in Australia, with White saying community pharmacists have the potential to perform a much broader role within their existing competencies.
The TWC chief particularly highlighted pharmacist vaccination as an example of services expanding within existing scope, particularly if the National Immunisation Program was expanded to include community pharmacy in all states.
Chemist Warehouse's Gance spoke about pharmacy ownership rules, saying they have "no place in modern Australia," comparing pharmacy with medical practices where "provision of care by a medical practitioner is entirely unrelated to the ownership".
Pharmacy ownership was also a hot topic with King, who said ownership rules, while good in theory, were "not working in practice" with a significant number of pharmacy owners who are "best categorised as absentee landlords".
King was also pro an expanded scope of practice for pharmacists, noting that last year's review had recommended remuneration for services such as vaccinations.
Further hearings will take place in Brisbane, Cairns, Toowoomba and Townsville in the next few weeks.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 21 Aug 18
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 21 Aug 18
