In Brief
GP goes to top over ban on 24-hour co-located pharmacy
In Brief
Staff writers
ANTONY SCHOLEFIELD A GP is appealing to the Minister for Health to allow him to open a medical clinic with a 24-hour pharmacy after being foiled by the Byzantine rules protecting pharmacies from competition.
Dr Alan Cunneen is battling to transform his practice in Melbourne into an around-the-clock GP clinic in conjunction with a small pharmacy to dispense medications after hours.
He claimed that authorities initially approved the plan and were satisfied his plan met the notoriously strict pharmacy location rules.
The rules allow new pharmacies that are within 500m of existing pharmacies provided they are in a shopping centre.
Given Dr Cunneen’ s clinic is next door to the Pinewood Shopping Village, he assumed he was safe.
But a pharmacist based in the shopping centre took him to the Federal Court of Australia, arguing that the shopping village— with more than 60 shops and 500 car parks— was not technically a shopping centre because it was not operating under a single central management structure.
“ The pharmacist went to appeal on a tiny technical issue, it went to the Federal Court and we lost,” said Dr Cunneen.
“ I’ ve been five years building this GP clinic. I just wanted to provide a good service.”
He said he understood the point of the location rules to ensure pharmacies were spread evenly, but claimed his new pharmacy would not have competed directly with those nearby.
“ We’ re 80 metres square, no vitamins, no perfumes, hidden in the medical centre. And if we were allowed to open, we would be a lot cheaper for patients than the National Home Doctor Service.
“ It’ d take the pressure off hospitals, ambulances and Medicare.”
Dr Cunneen has now started petitioning Mr Hunt to use his discretionary powers and overturn the ban.
“ The law is the law, but it should follow common sense,” said Dr Cunneen.
Australian Doctor has attempted to contact the pharmacist who lodged the Federal Court appeal.
Push to dispense script-free S4 medications
ANTONY SCHOLEFIELD PHARMACY owners have written to the TGA calling for the right to dispense a range of S4 drugs— including some antibiotics— without a doctor’ s script.
Doctors have already slammed the Pharmacy Guild of Australia for its bid to keep codeine over-thecounter in some circumstances, even after it is upscheduled to an S4 medication in February 2018.
But it has now emerged the guild has written to the TGA saying other prescription drugs should be available OTC too.
The new model, which should be given“ serious consideration” according to the guild, is meant to help patients when they cannot access a GP.
The guild’ s suggested examples of potential‘ prescription except when’ are:
• sildenafil( in doses of 12 tablets of 100mg or less);
• calcipotriol( for diagnosed mild
to moderate psoriasis, in packs of less than 30g where each dose contains less than 50mg / gram);
• trimethoprim( for uncomplicated UTIs in packs of three containing 300mg or less each); and
• azithromycin( only for confirmed cases of chlamydia when pharmacists are registered to provide chlamydia tests). The suggestions are based on scheduling used in the UK and New Zealand.
RACGP vice-president Dr Edwin Kruys called it a“ most unhelpful submission”, highlighting the examples of trimethoprim and azithromycin.“ We need careful
‘ We’ re 80 metres square, no vitamins, no perfumes, hidden in the medical centre. And if we were allowed to open, we would be a lot cheaper for patients than the National Home Doctor Service.’
— Dr Alan Cunneen
stewardship of antibiotics and this has the potential to make the current situation worse,” he said.
“ This submission looks like an attempt to push the envelope at a time when the pharmacy industry is under considerable pressure to help end over-the-counter sales of codeine based medications.”
RACGP vicepresident Dr Edwin Kruys calls it a‘ most unhelpful submission’.
Don’ t hit GPs with red tape after Medicare hack: AMA
THE Federal Government has been warned not to hit practices with more red tape when it responds to revelations that Medicare numbers are being sold on the dark web. In July, it emerged that dozens of Medicare numbers had been sold for about $ 25 each. A review is looking at the Medicare number lookup system, used by doctors, as a potential culprit. But in its submission to the review, the AMA said the response should be proportionate to the problem, as doctors used the system 10 million times a year for legitimate reasons.“ The solution to these does not lie in burdening medical practices with extra red tape,” it said.
Victims of drug-testing will be referred to specialists
WELFARE recipients who test positive twice in the Federal Government’ s planned welfare drug-testing regime will be referred for treatment to addiction specialists rather than GPs it has emerged. A report by the Community Affairs Legislation Committee, released last week, said the trial should go ahead. However, doctor groups have panned the regime calling it a waste of money with no evidencebase.
No evidence linking cardiac death with elite sports
A LEADING sports cardiologist says there is no conclusive evidence well-trained athletes like ironman champion Dean Mercer are more likely to suffer sudden cardiac death. Associate Professor Andre La Gerche, head of Sports Cardiology at Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, spoke out following media reports that linked the death of Mr Mercer at age 47 with his elite training regimen.
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