"Women's health is not a pilot project": RACGP on Government decision to prioritise political donations over safety

The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) is concerned for patients after the Federal Government ignored expert advice from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) by allowing pharmacists to prescribe the oral contraceptive pill.

RACGP Vice President Dr Ramya Raman said the “lobbyist-led” decision represents a serious failure of health policy that puts women’s health and safety at risk.

“Women’s health is not a pilot project. This decision puts politics ahead of patient safety and sends a troubling message to Australian women that expert medical advice can be ignored,” she said.

Dr Raman said the decision was particularly disappointing given the Government’s public commitments to improving women’s health and the historic number of women in Parliament.

“Frankly I am shocked that the first Federal Government with a majority of women in its Cabinet and its Caucus would be so reckless with women’s health,” she said.

“Women’s health is not a pilot project.

“Australians deserve to know why their government is overriding the advice of the nation’s independent medicines regulator, advice that exists for one reason – to keep people safe.

“This is not a question of access versus safety. It is about whether expert, evidence-based medical advice is being respected, or whether political pressure and large political donations are being allowed to dictate health policy.

“Donations don’t equal data. When the loudest lobby is also the largest political donor, Australians deserve maximum transparency and independent evaluation. Publish the safety outcomes.”

When pharmacy prescribing of hormonal contraception was considered by the TGA in 2021, the independent regulator declined to down-schedule oral contraceptives, citing the risk of serious adverse health outcomes and concluding that pharmacist-only consultations were not sufficient to ensure patient safety over time.

“Hormonal contraception is safe and commonly used by many women, but it should not be prescribed casually,” Dr Raman said.

“It carries well established risks, including increased risk of stroke and blood clots, particularly during periods of hormonal change, the very times when women need comprehensive medical assessment, not fragmented care.

“A new headache, visual changes, ‘auras’ – that’s a red flag, not a refill. Allowing pharmacists to prescribe the pill sends a dangerous public health message to Australian women, that this is a simple, risk-free medication when it is not.”

Stroke remains one of the leading causes of death and disability in Australian women, and changes in hormonal status are among the most significant risk factors. Dr Raman said GPs are trained to assess these risks in the context of a woman’s full medical history, something that cannot be done safely without continuity of care. Pharmacists are not.

RACGP President Dr Michael Wright is also deeply concerned that the Government is pressing ahead with this change without any serious, independent evaluation of pharmacy prescribing trials, effectively co-opting women into a national experiment.

“One of the great strengths of Australia’s health system is that medicines policy is guided by independent experts, not political convenience,” he said.

“What we are seeing here is expert medical advice being ignored, and that should alarm every Australian.”

The RACGP is calling on the Government to immediately reconsider its decision and return medicines scheduling and prescribing policy to the independent experts whose role is to protect patient safety.

“Real reform is strengthening the front door, not building side entrances with weaker guardrails,” Dr Raman said.

“Access matters. But women deserve access and safety – not access first and safety later. As GPs, we see daily the barriers women face navigating healthcare delayed diagnoses, fragmented care, and the quiet normalisation of symptoms that deserve attention.

“General practice stands ready to improve access, but we will not compromise on the standards that protect patients.”

Dr Lisa Murphy, CEO of Stroke Foundation, strongly supports the RACGP position.

"Women deserve access to accurate, complete information about the risks and benefits of every contraceptive option so they can make informed decisions about their health,” she said.

“Stroke risk can be influenced by a number of factors across a woman’s life, including use of the oral contraceptive pill, pregnancy and menopause. These decisions should be made with access to personalised medical advice that considers an individual woman’s full health history and risk profile.”

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~ENDS