09/10/2026
The Victorian Government is extending a fundamentally flawed program to more conditions, despite serious concerns about patient safety, fragmented care, and conflicts of interest. AMA Victoria remains firmly opposed to pharmacist prescribing in retail pharmacies.
The conflict of interest is inherent in the model: the same business deciding whether a patient needs medication also profits from supplying it. Each expansion places more medical decisions in that setting and risks further fragmenting patients’ care.
Common reflux medications, including some proton pump inhibitors, are already available over the counter, so we question why this expansion is required. Further to this, the use of PPI medications needs monitoring as prolonged us , in itself, can cause significant side effects. Ongoing monitoring and decisions about further investigations should sit with a doctor; risks of significant reflux oesophagitis and gastric cancers need be to be understood and require an ongoing , patient-focussed holistic approach to care, not fractured, episodic treatments.
Menopausal hormone therapy is likewise not a simple tick and flick process. It requires treatment tailored to the individual and regular medical reviews to monitor side effects, reassess risks, and adjust medication as needed. Even a one month resupply requires a decision about whether treatment remains safe and appropriate. To suggest a community pharmacy is a suitable setting for that medical assessment is misguided. Womens' healthcare requires a long-term therapeutic relationship and should not be fractured or commercialised. The health outcomes are significant, the screening is vital and the failure to recognise the risks involved in this approach by government is gravely concerning.
The Government should reverse this expansion, abolish Chemist Care Now, and strengthen access to GP-led care.
Before dispensing medication, pharmacists must undertake a thorough consultation in a private room and outline any risks.
