Pharmacy Daily | Upholding the law on unapproved pharmacies

The Guild has recently provided detailed evidence to the Government in relation to eight unapproved pharmacies in Queensland and New South Wales from which pharmaceutical benefits are being supplied, despite the pharmacies’ lack of approval to do so. This is on top of 11 other batches of evidence that have previously been provided. Last month the Guild was represented at a meeting involving the office of the Minister for Health, representatives of the Commonwealth Departments of Health and Human Services, a Queensland pharmacy owner and that owner’s local Member of Parliament. This was an important and productive step in finding and implementing solutions to this problem and was followed two weeks ago by a meeting in Canberra that also involved the Pharmacy Board of Australia. Let’s be clear - there are no grey areas in the law in this area. There are no loopholes. Supplying a pharmaceutical benefit at or from an unapproved premises is a contravention of the National Health Act 1953. The practices that are used to facilitate this activity may also breach state law, professional standards and codes of conduct and ethics. The relevant Commonwealth Departments and the Pharmacy Board of Australia are now working collaboratively and proactively on this issue and the Guild will pursue it alongside the Government.

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