However,he said the COVID-19 pandemic – during which pharmacists helped with the vaccine rollout – had shifted power and made decision-makers more likely to listen to the guild’s proposals to improve the health system. The Pharmacy Guild represents about 5900 community pharmacy owners.
Twomey told students “the health system is stuffed” but cautioned that raising the Medicare rebate for GPs was not the answer. He referred to GPs as “you twits” when commenting on how the ownership of general practice had been increasingly commercialised.
“The point I’m saying is,the hospital system is under strain,and other elements of primary care are under strain ... Money is not the solution to system reform,” he said.
Twomey said the only solution to Australia’s health crisis was “fully utilising all health practitioners to their full scope”. “Nurses,yes. Dentists,yes. Pharmacists as well,” he said.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners denounced Twomey’s comments on Friday,saying the Pharmacy Guild was out of control and its attitude “should send a shiver down the spine of politicians everywhere”.
“In this extraordinary speech,Trent Twomey has laid bare the guild’s future intentions for their sector and the future of healthcare in Australia. According to them,the limits on pharmacy prescribing should be done away with,” president Nicole Higgins said in a statement.
“It is all about exerting power and extending the role of pharmacy to maximise pharmacy-owner profits at any cost.
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“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.”
In turn,the guild accused Higgins of repurposing Twomey’s comments to whip up a media frenzy.
“The speech was described by attendees as unifying,inspiring and patient-centred,” a spokesman said.
“Professor Twomey stands by his speech and will always speak out in the best healthcare interests of patients,promoting safe and evidence-based healthcare.”
A federal taskforce on Medicare reform will finalise its report this month,which some taskforce members have flagged should focus on broad system overhaul.
Cut through the noise of federal politics with news,views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley.Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter here.