Royal Australian College of General Practitioners calls for Queensland Government to release details on pharmacy deal
Doctors have accused the Queensland government of secrecy for refusing to release details on a deal to allow chemists to treat patients.
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Doctors are accusing the Queensland government of hiding important information by holding back on releasing RTI documents on how a deal was struck with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia to allow chemists to treat patients on a range of ailments.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has called on the Queensland Government to come clean on the North Queensland Retail Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot.
It comes following the RACGP lodging a Right to Information Act 2009 (RTI Act) request to the Queensland Health Department on March 28 this year.
So far, no information has been forthcoming.
The application sought access to meeting agendas, meeting papers (including notes and briefing papers), minutes, correspondence, budget documents and briefings relating to the pilot.
The college has previously cautioned that the pilot will fragment care and put patient safety and wellbeing at risk.
In October this year, the college doubled down on warnings that the experiment would result in poorer health outcomes for patients and much higher healthcare costs.
Since then, several jurisdictions including Victoria and NSW, have forged ahead with their own pharmacy prescribing plans.
The college’s Queensland chairman Dr Bruce Willett slammed the delay and said that patients and GPs deserved better.
“This delay is unacceptable. What has the government got to hide exactly?” he said.
“The (college) lodged an application in March this year and then received a Notice of Intention to Refuse the application in late April.
“After the application was revised the department agreed to process it but asked for an extension which we willingly granted.
“In early September, we advised them that we needed the documents as soon as possible and said that the college would seek review via the Office of the Information Commission if additional extensions were required.
“Then more extensions were requested, a new Principal RTI Officer took over the application, they advised that they were conducting internal consultations and many emails were exchanged and phone conversations took place and on and on and on it went.
“Enough is enough, this has gone on for too long. We have gone through all of the proper processes and appear to have been stonewalled.”
College president and Mackay-based GP Dr Nicole Higgins said that scrutiny of the pilot was needed more than ever.
“This is not rocket science, if due process has been followed then these documents exist, and it is in the public’s interest to know what they contain, especially as this pilot is the product of an election promise rather than responding to a demonstrable public need,” she said.
A Queensland Health spokesman said that the RTI application was currently being reviewed by the Office of the Information Commissioner at the request of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.
“Queensland Health’s RTI team has liaised regularly with the RACGP regarding their application. It’s important to note that RTI processes are conducted independently of other departmental divisions and ministerial offices, in accordance with relevant legislation” he said.
“We have engaged openly with all of our key stakeholders, including the RACGP, since the commencement of the North Queensland Retail Pharmacy Scope of Practice initiative.
The RACGP accepted an invitation to be part of the pilot’s steering reference group but withdrew in February.
“We have continued to consult with the RACGP and have extended invitations for the group to remain involved in the process.
“The Australian-first program is designed to give patients more access to high-quality, integrated, and cost-effective primary health care. It aims to supplement – not replace – existing services to the health care they need. Pharmacists who are already highly trained and well-regulated health professionals and are taking part in the trial, have been trained to ensure the initiative is safe “
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