Pharmacy clinics are a health risk, claim GPs

From the Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald:
A joint venture between a pharmacy chain and nurse practitioners to open clinics that will provide treatment for such ailments as colds and flu has been attacked by the Australian Medical Association as a threat to public health.

But the Pharmacy Alliance Group and Revive Clinics say their service will alleviate the pressure on the health system and have accused doctors of trying to protect their turf.

The first Revive Clinic in NSW opened at a Richmond pharmacy last weekend, after the opening of clinics in Western Australia, Queensland and the ACT.

A deal between Revive Clinics and the Pharmacy Alliance Group, which manages more than 400 pharmacies, will increase the number of shops offering the service over the next three years, depending on the demand.

The clinics will be held in pharmacies carrying the healthetc brand. Managing director Tom Love hailed the move as positive for public health, noting that the clinics were opening in areas suffering a GP shortage. ...more