Speaking on Channel 7's Sunrise program on 21 December 2022, Dr Higgins stated:
Our concern is that increasing non-medical prescribers, such as pharmacists, if these medications aren't used properly, it increases resistance and it means that they don't work when we need them. And we know from overseas experience that when pharmacists have been actually able to prescribe them, it's increased the rate of resistance. So they don't work. Trimethoprim doesn't work for a third of women in New Zealand and in Canada. They prescribed at seven times the rate of what a GP would.
Pharmacy Guild of Australia WA Branch President, Mr Andrew Ngeow believes this blatantly erroneous statement must be publicly corrected.
The facts are:
- Pharmacist management of uncomplicated urinary tract infections are a safe and effective treatment.
- The level of antimicrobial resistance is lower in New Zealand than it is in Australia and has risen at a slower rate since pharmacist prescribing was introduced.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners claims to be the voice of general practitioners.
As such, the WA Branch believes that its President must provide facts to patients, to both build confidence in Australia's primary health care system, and to ensure patients are informed about where they are able to access appropriate health care.
"We expect that the RACGP President provides patients with the correct information about pharmacist prescribing of medicines, by addressing inaccuracies in those earlier comments."
Mr Ngeow concluded.
