A backlash from doctors, including concerns over the integrity of Queensland government decision-making, has pushed back a proposed trial allowing pharmacists to prescribe medications.
The pilot scheme for North Queensland was originally due to start last June, and there's been no official explanation for the delay.
The Pharmacy Guild says it doesn't know the cause of the hold-up, but Queensland branch president Chris Owen said his members were keen to get the trial started "as soon as possible."
"Whether we have to wait a couple of months is here or there … the most important thing is that it happens," he told 7.30.
Queensland's Health minister Yvette D'ath has declined to answer 7.30's questions about the delay, but said in a statement the government stands by its "election commitment".
"We acknowledge the AMAQ (Australian Medical Association of Queensland) has expressed concerns and we have engaged with them to address these."
AMAQ president Dr Maria Boulton says the whole concept is flawed.
"This is not a solution," Dr Boulton said.
"Patients deserve doctors, they don't deserve a dangerous experiment that puts their health at risk."
Details revealed in leaked draft document
The proposal aims to set up a pilot program in North Queensland, allowing pharmacists to prescribe some medications that normally require a doctor's script.
The Pharmacy Guild says this will help ease the crisis over GP shortages.
"To be able to have patients have timely access to available healthcare is the most important thing," Mr Owen said.
A draft document, leaked earlier this year, outlines some of the proposed details of the trial.
Pharmacists who undergo at least 120 hours of training will be given the power of "autonomous prescribing" for up to 23 common or chronic conditions and requests including reflux, acute nausea, oral health screening, allergies, hayfever, asthma, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and oral contraception.
The AMAQ pulled out of consultation with the Queensland government earlier this year after it saw the full scope of the proposal.
"If you think about flying on a plane, would you trust a bus driver with a bus driver's licence to fly your plane after 120 hours of online tutorials?" Dr Boulton said.
"It's pretty obvious with the conflict of interest, if you're the one prescribing something that you're going to sell later, that's your conflict there.
"There needs to be a separation between prescribing and selling."
While Mr Owen acknowledges a potential conflict of interest, he argues there is also a "national requirement to provide the best possible outcomes" for the patient.
"That exists whether it's pharmacy or whether it's medicine," he said.
Dr Simon Jackson is a general practitioner in rural South Australia, where the wait to see a GP can be as long as six weeks.
He believes pharmacists can be part of the solution to the GP crisis — but he says pharmacists need to work with doctors and not independently.
"Every medication has its risks, every medication has its potential side effects," he said.
"I think that really needs to be assessed appropriately before it is prescribed to a patient."
Concerns over Pharmacy Guild's influence
The AMAQ also complained to the recent Coaldrake Review into Queensland's public sector culture and accountability about the Pharmacy Guild's undue influence through political donations and the use of paid lobbyists.
"We don't know what effect that's had, but that's something for the government to answer," Dr Boulton told 7.30.
Minister D'ath did not answer 7.30's questions about the lobbying of people in her office but said her government would continue to consult widely.
"We will work with stakeholders to deliver training and ensure that those participating in the pilot meet strict safety and eligibility requirements," she said.
Queensland Electoral Commission disclosures show the Pharmacy Guild donated $78,000 to the Labor Party and $53,950 to the LNP over the past two years.
Yvette D'ath has previously denied she was influenced by these donations.
The state's lobbying register also shows 18 contacts between senior officers of the Health Minister's office and department this year, involving two lobbying firms representing the Pharmacy Guild – Hawker Britton and Anacta, which is also a major donor to the Labor Party.
Chris Owen said the Pharmacy Guild employed Anacta in order to get a seat at the table.
"Anacta has certainly worked with us in order to provide a great policy platform," he said.
A spokesman for Anacta said both the LNP and Labor committed to the pharmacists' trial prior to the 2020 election.
"Anacta was engaged by the Pharmacy Guild of Queensland two years later, in March 2022. Part of our contact program on its behalf related to implementation aspects of the full scope trial."
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