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ROLLO MANNING

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PHARMACY STRUCTURE

One National Body - Who Says?

The National Guild President has suggested PSA and the Guild could become one organisation sometime in the future.
A close look at why pharmacy is where it is is necessary to weigh up the pros and cons of this debate.
The recent call by Pharmacy Guild National President John Bronger for the Pharmaceutical Society and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia to unite into one organisation inside 10 years poses some interesting questions.
No doubt Mr Bronger realised this would happen before he made the comments, and intended to have people ask whether this would be a good thing or not.
The fundamental question raised is whether pharmacy, as it is practiced in Australia, is a health profession or a retail trade?
In Australia this has been done over the past 50 years without interruption. Whether it is good for the public is a question worth raising.
The current generations of Australians have never known anything different, so may believe that "things are fine".
Pharmacy leaders are continually telling them that the Australian system of distributing pharmaceuticals is the best in the World.
Why should they think any different?
And maybe it is.
But why?
The Australian pharmacy system has been built up by two distinct and separate organisations. The Pharmacy Guild, founded in 1928 as a National organisation, to represent the business interests of pharmacy owners, and to protect them against the alleged inroads threatening from overseas corporate interests such as Boots the Chemist in England.
Predating the Guild were the Pharmaceutical Societies in the individual States, some formed prior to Federation and with a proud heritage of maintaining professional standards. These State organisations continued their work well beyond the formation of the National Guild.
It was only in 1976 that the need was seen for a National body to be formed to represent the professional interests of pharmacists to the Federal Government. The strength of the Societies has remained in the States, for as with many organisations, which sought National recognition, the reality is that legislation governing health service delivery is a matter for the States/Territories.
The funding of those services has been the role of the Federal Government, and so the important role of the Guild in negotiating remuneration for proprietor pharmacists with the PBS.
Nothing very much has changed.
Federation is 100 years old, and the Constitution that governs the Federal/State relationships is intact, apart from rare referendum decisions including the advent of the National Health Scheme in the 1950s under (Sir) Earl Page.
The lesson here is that to maintain the "best in the world" status, official pharmacy must acknowledge the unique nature of the way Australia is governed when it comes to health services. Let the Guild be the Guild at the National level and maintain the effort against Government attempts to save costs on PBS. Recognise the important "States rights" issues when it comes to the manner in which legislation governs the way things are done at the legislative level where the power lies.
One organisation trying to be "all things to all people" may miss an opportunity to see what is happening at the seat of power in a professional sense - the State level.
Why is it that the Galbally Review of the Poisons Acts had such a battle to even have its report published - and then as a "draft"?
Why is it that the NCP review of pharmacy ownership failed to bring about change - could State pressure have been a factor?
If anything should change it may be worth considering doing away with the National PSA body, reverting to the delegation of professional development back to the State organisations, and farm out the tasks around the different Pharmaceutical Societies.
The two (Guild and PS States) could come together as a peak body representing all pharmacy interests, including manufacturers and wholesalers.
If John Bronger was seeking to "stir the pot", let the debate begin, and tell your State representatives where you think the future of pharmacy lies - as a health profession or a retail trader.
Maybe it is the status quo with the balance finely tuned!