PROPOSALS made by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), promoting alternatives to the existing community pharmacy model for dispensing medicines, are "nonsensical" and "short-sighted", Pharmacy Guild of Australia Victorian Branch President, Anthony Tassone, believes.
Tassone told Pharmacy Daily, the RACGP's call for a central supplier to take on the role of drug storage and supply, rather than pharmacies, made in its proposal to the Review of the National Medicines Policy (PD 04 Feb), was not in line with the views of GPs working in the community.
He noted that the community pharmacy network has (and continues to) play a key role in ensuring timely access to medicines throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It seems that the RACGP has very short memories from the COVID-19 pandemic where community pharmacies kept their doors open and were there for their patients ensuring continuity of care and access to essential medicines," Tassone said.
"To suggest that there should be a centralised dispensing and distribution of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medicines that bypasses or is at the expense of community pharmacies is nonsensical, short-sighted and hopelessly out of touch with the realities of what occurs on the ground in communities across Australia each and every day.
"The last two years has seen many general practices transitioning to telehealth for periods, while pharmacies were fronting up day-in day-out helping coordinate things like electronic and digital image prescriptions from doctors practising remotely.
"Pharmacies were overseeing making sure medicines got in the hands of patients and being there to assist in whatever way needed.
"The RACGP position on community pharmacy is not reflective of the strong relationships that pharmacists have with their local GP colleagues including those near my pharmacy.
"It is completely disconnected from the collaboration that occurs to help deliver patient care and access to medicines.
"I would be utterly embarrassed if this was my representative body espousing the supposed views of my profession."
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