My view on our profession is patient based — what is best for the patient, so that he/she gets the right medication at the right time, right dose etc and that the medication is appropriate for the condition that the doctor is wishing to treat.
Under the current arrangements, this basic necessity and duty of care, in my mind, has been neglected, resulting from overworked and over-stressed pharmacists and the technicians (who get almost as raw a deal as employed pharmacists do).
This is a recipe for medical blunders and patient suffering as a result.

It’s that time of year again.Red, runny noses on sad faces; thick woollen socks, home knitted scarves and a growing pile of old soggy sticky hankies next to the bed; croaky voices, sore throats and bad coughs that just won’t go away.I’ve caught a cold and I’m sure I’m dying or at least that’s how I feel.It’s time to drag myself into the car and head for my local pharmacy.With some pharmacies selling nearly 100 products to treat my condition, surely I will find something to help.This time I’ll talk about remedies for coughs and colds.

Just once, I said, just once for a change I promised myself that when I write the next article for this prestigious rag, huh, publication, it will be in an upbeat manner.
With no whinging, no politics, no sarcasm and no despair. No sir. Next time I would write about the subject matter covering technology and the internet; good news will roll and rule.Sigh.

I have been following with some interest a series of postings on the web site ausphamlist.net.au about the 2010 salary scales for pharmacists proposed by Guild and Government. One, from a young pharmacist called John Kinsella here in Perth, caught my attention late last week. In this he argues quite vehemently that the proposed $26 per hour for a pharmacist with ten years experience is an insult, especially when compared to about $40 per hour for nurses working in the Health Direct program.