THE Pharmacy Guild is disappointed but unsurprised, by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) comments made last week, said a Guild spokesperson (PD breaking news Fri).
"It is disappointing, but unsurprising, that the RACGP has repurposed Guild President Prof Trent Twomey's (pictured)comments to whip up a media frenzy.
"The speech was described by attendees as unifying, inspiring and patient-centred.
"Prof Twomey stands by his speech and will always speak out in the best healthcare interests of patients, promoting safe and evidence-based healthcare," a Guild spokesperson said.
The RACGP broadside follows comments made by Pharmacy Guild President Trent Twomey at the National Australian Pharmacy Students' Association Congress event in Canberra last week.
RACGP claims that in his presentation Twomey labelled GPs as "twits" and said greater funding was not required for general practice; reportedly made the unprecedented suggestion that pharmacists should be able to prescribe, dispense, administer, and review "all medicines for all people"; and described as "bloody insulting" the idea that pharmacists should only prescribe medications when working in cohort with a medical practitioner, likening it to a "plumber needing to look over the shoulder of an electrician" when installing air-conditioning.
Further, RACGP stated that Twomey said being able to prescribe, dispense, administer, and review medicines are not specialities, that "no one gives a s**t"; and described the nation's health system as "stuffed".
RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins responded, saying: "The Pharmacy Guild is out of control.
"Let's just pause for a moment and consider what he is suggesting here, which is pharmacists acting as quasi-GPs without any supervision treating a myriad of complex health conditions and prescribing the most serious of medications, including those with the potential to cause severe side effects or lead to dependence.
"Part of the skill of general practice is knowing when not to prescribe.
"The Pharmacy Guild seems to think that everything can be fixed with a drug.
"Pharmacists just don't have the expertise and training to perform the function of prescribing medications, that is a job that should be left to medical practitioners.
"One of the justifications frequently put forward by the Guild, including in this speech, for extending pharmacy powers is that there is a shortage of GPs.
"Let's be clear, we do have a maldistribution of GPs in Australia and the college is fighting hard every day to address that.
"However, we should not go down the path of band-aid solutions including role substitution.
"Also, recent workforce data reveals a shortage of pharmacists too, so giving them more power doesn't make sense," Higgins said.
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