Our healthcare system and how stakeholders influence it

5 May 2005

Australia's healthcare system and the roles of governments, the pharmaceutical industry, hospitals, health professionals -- and their peak bodies -- in shaping it are the subject of a new distance education study unit being offered by the Faculty of Pharmacy at Monash University.

Course director Mr Bill Suen said the unit, called "The Australian Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Environment", would help pharmacists, health professionals and pharmaceutical industry personnel to better understand how the health system works.

"The pharmacy ownership debate, medical indemnity crisis, Therapeutic Goods Administration, nurse practitioners, government bureaucrats, Medicare reform, and Free Trade Agreement are some components of the highly complex and rapidly changing healthcare environment in Australia," Mr Suen said. "Health professionals and industry executives often find it frustrating and daunting when faced with these challenges."

To ensure the unit material was relevant and up to date, the faculty sought input from Mr Bill Scott (Pharmacy Guild of Australia), Ms Fiona Woodard (Medicines Australia) and Ms Yvonne Allinson (Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia) in the development of the content. "The unit material itself is now a valuable resource for those who work in the health environment," Mr Suen said.

Mr Puneet Rewal, a community pharmacy manager who is currently enrolled in the unit, has found it enjoyable and its content well organised and easy to access as all the required information is at his fingertips through the Internet. Recent pharmacy graduate Ms Marijana Putnikovic said that she wished she had the opportunity to study the unit earlier. "It is so relevant to my work in the hospital and helps me understand why and how things are done, particularly in the drug utilisation review and the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme areas".

Ms Woodard commented that the unit allowed pharmaceutical industry personnel to get a good grasp of the complexity surrounding the industry. "It is particularly useful for those who are new or want to enter the industry. The distance education format of the unit also makes it easier for pharmaceutical industry personnel as they generally travel a lot in their jobs," she said.

The unit can be taken as a single subject for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points or as part of the Grad Certificate or Grad Diploma of Pharmacy Management, with the option to roll over to a full Monash MBA.

Further information from Mr Bill Suen + 61 3 9903 9054, bill.suen@vcp.monash.edu.au