Could a GP union match the power of the Guild?

1 minute read

ACRRM AMA Pharmacy podcast Political RACGP The Tea Room

By

Wendy John

The pharmacy prescribing pilot in Queensland shows that, love or loathe it, lobbying gets results.

Last Friday the AMA, RACGP and ACRRM resigned en masse from the Queensland pharmacy-prescribing trial steering committee.

According to these peak bodies, they had each chosen to put a member on the steering group to keep an eye on the Pharmacy Guild and Queensland Health. They just forgot to tell their members about the decision.

But amid the outrage around the trial itself and the GP groups’ response, there’s a grudging admiration of what the Pharmacy Guild can make happen – at least in Queensland.

This episode of The Tea Room we talk about the scope of pharmacists, lobbying power, and whether GPs should be able to unionise. Our guest is Dr Umair Masood, GP and vice-president of the Australian Society for General Practice.

UPDATE: Since this podcast was recorded, ASGP has withdrawn its bid to be a registered organisation, but intends to reapply.

You can listen and subscribe to the show by searching for “The Tea Room Medical Republic” in your favourite podcast player.

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Peter Bradley
Peter Bradley
2 years ago

I still can’t help but feel that the real issue here is not whether the possible ASGP union formed could stand up to the pharmacy guild, but whether it will have any real negotiating clout..? Because, when all is said and done, they would still be trying to negotiate mainly changes in MBS, and ok, probably the PBS as well, and although they might achieve something regarding the most annoying issues related to the PBS, it’s the MBS – ie Medicare – ie money – where the main issue surrounding the poor GP funding revolves. The govt is always happy to refer to the MBS as the primary source of GP funding up to, and until, GPs start complaining, where the stock response is that the Medicare is a patient subsidy only, not GP’s pay, and right there is where it all falls on its face, because they are right.

This is why I have felt for a long time the only way forward which could bring about real beneficial change, and not just for GPs, but for everyone involved in primary care, is to scrap Medicare altogether for primary care, and have the funding replaced, not by some mongrel capitation funding system, but by properly negotiated and constituted salaries. The main stumbling block appears to be getting the collective will to get on board with this.

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