Don't come to us for sickies, say pharmacists

From the Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald:
Pharmacists are reluctant to use powers authorising them to issue medical certificates, citing a lack of diagnostic skills and a fear of being sued.

Two years after the Federal Government changed the rules for pharmacists in an attempt to ease the burden on GPs, the system seems to have failed.

The scheme allows pharmacists to charge a fee, usually up to $30, to assess a customer and provide a medical certificate for minor ailments, such as influenza or headache. It was introduced after Work Choices legislation put a greater requirement on employers to demand medical certificates from staff.

It was also designed to ease the crippling lack of GPs. Most pharmacists contacted by the Herald yesterday said they had not promoted the service because they did not feel comfortable issuing certificates.

''We are not trained diagnosticians and it just doesn't seem the right thing to do,'' a pharmacist, Chadi Tahan, said. ...more