A plan to allow pharmacists to treat patients for more than a dozen common conditions could risk lives, an influential doctors group warns. or signup to continue reading The proposal by the Country Liberal Party ahead of the Northern Territory's August 24 election comes as other states and territories undertake pharmacy prescription trials allowing patients to bypass GPs. Pharmacists in the NT would be given the power to treat 21 conditions, including school sores, shingles, asthma, swimmer's ear and hypertension.
Urinary tract infection treatments would be made available within the first 100 days of a Country Liberal government, during which pharmacists would also begin training to treat the other conditions. Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro described the proposal as a "game-changer for patients" which would save them time and money. "This means more convenient access to world-class medical treatment and avoids (patients) having to make an appointment to see the doctor or visit an emergency department," Ms Finocchiaro said on Thursday.
Pharmacy Guild of Australia NT president Peter Hatswell lauded the idea as a "transformative step forward for our healthcare system". "By allowing pharmacists to manage common conditions, we can free up GP appointments for more complex cases and reduce unnecessary emergency department visits," Mr Hatswell said in a statement. But the Royal Australian College of GPs blasted the proposal, saying it contravened Therapeutic Goods Administration r.