The Pharmacy Guild of Australia has taken exception to the government’s policy change, warning it will create medicine shortages and make pharmacies financially worse off.

The president of the guild wept at the thought of pharmacies going under because of reduced income from dispensing fees and co-payments.

Mark Butler, the federal minister for health and aged care, was deft in his response, advising Australians to "take advice around medicine supply and medicine shortages from our medicines authorities rather than the pharmacy lobby group."

This argy-bargy between the government and the guild is not uncommon.

What is uncommon is the public dismissal from a health minister of the guild’s views. This government is using its political capital to push health reform forward and doesn’t seem afraid to ruffle a few feathers.

Read the full article published in The Conversation.

Contact Chrissy Clay for more information.