Doctors warned on “shared premises” risk
Concerns voiced by the Irish Pharmaceutical Union over the rapid development in the republic of one-stop health centres, with GP surgery and pharmacy on the same premises, have been echoed by the medical profession's ruling body.
In a warning to doctors, the Irish Medical Council said that, although
shared premises might be convenient for patients, the arrangement had “potential
for abuse”. There was the risk that a pharmacist’s stocking
policies could influence the GP’s prescribing patterns, or that
the GP would refer patients to the pharmacist, or that the pharmacy would
use the presence of the surgery to endorse its premises.
The council reminded GPs of their ethical obligation “to provide
clinical care independent of commercial interest”, and warned that
any member suspected of behaving otherwise would face a fitness-to-practise
inquiry. The council president, John Hillery, added that although sharing
premises with a pharmacy was not forbidden, members should be alert to
the potential pitfalls involved.
But Karl Hilton, president of the Irish Pharmaceutical Union, claimed
that “such an important issue for patients” required a stronger
response. “There should be no business relationship of any kind
between a doctor and a pharmacist, and the Shipman report emphasised
that point,” he said. |
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