‘Where are we getting the time to do this?’: Why this pharmacist is against prescribing S4 medicines

Grassroots pharmacists worry that the Pharmacy Guild of Australia’s call for S4 and S8 prescribing rights will force them to accept extra risks for little reward or else face career setbacks.

Since Queensland began its controversial pharmacy prescribing program in 2024, states and territories have granted pharmacists who complete extra training a mishmash of powers to diagnose and treat medical conditions, from shingles to obesity.

Of nearly 8000 Queensland pharmacists, 366 are registered to prescribe S4 medicines, although 126 have only completed training to prescribe hormonal contraceptives, according to Queensland Health.

WA will copy Queensland’s pharmacist prescribing program in 2027.

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