QUEENSLAND Pharmacy Guild branch president Trent Twomey and his pharmacist proprietor wife Georgina have both spoken this week before the Qld Parliamentary Committee Inquiry into the establishment of a Pharmacy Council and transfer of pharmacy ownership.
The state president said he believed the Guild had had an opportunity to put its case to the committee over the course of its public hearings, along with a substantial written submission.
He told the panel the inquiry "should be about ensuring that medicines are provided in a safe and efficacious way to all Queenslanders regardless of where they live," noting that there is a "big gap in terms of the standards for community pharmacies in Queensland because of the absence of a Pharmacy Council".
Twomey also urged the removal of all impediments to pharmacists practising to their full scope, and cited testimony by Pharmacy Board chair Bill Kelly who said it would be desirable to establish a "premises regulator" in Queensland in order to ensure minimum standards and as a step towards national harmonisation.
Georgina Twomey (pictured) also spoke in support of the need for a Pharmacy Council in Queensland, to provide certainty for both pharmacy owners and patients.
"As a pharmacist who has complied with the Pharmacy Business Ownership Act, I want to be able to be confident that other pharmacy businesses have also complied - a level playing field is fair, and in the interests of consumers," she said.
With the hearings over, the Committee will now draft a report to the state Government, which is due to be submitted by 30 Sep.
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