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Drug prescribing requires safety measures
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Doctors raised concerns today about ‘doctor shoppers’ and the proposed State Government expansion to prescribing of drugs of dependence without adequate controls.
AMA Victoria will make a presentation today to the Parliamentary Inquiry into benzodiazepine and other pharmaceutical drug misuse and abuse.
“Access to these drugs for those that need them must not be unduly restricted. However, the misuse of these drugs causes significant harm in the community,” Dr Travis said.
“AMA Victoria supports penalties for people who deliberately deceive doctors in order to gain a drug of dependence.”
Dr Travis said AMA Victoria also alerted the inquiry to State Government proposed changes which would see these drugs being distributed without strict controls.
“Under the recent Victorian Government proposal podiatrists would be able to prescribe drugs of dependence, without the same monitoring, safety or accountability mechanisms in place for doctors and dentists,” Dr Travis said.
“Medical practitioners prescribing drugs of dependence, do so within a national system, with sophisticated tracking systems, that monitor consultations and prescriptions.
“These safeguards are not available for podiatry consultations or prescribing.”
In addition, Dr Travis said podiatrists could be exposed to the equivalent of ‘doctor shopping’.
“’Doctor shopping’ by people seeking to gain prescription medication for non-medical uses is a real problem even with safety and accountability mechanisms in place for doctors.
“Doctors have many years supervised practice before being able to practise and prescribe independently.
“However, under the State Government proposal podiatrists straight out of university would be able to prescribe drugs of dependence,” Dr Travis said.
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