Queensland is running a trial in which pharmacists will be allowed to diagnose and prescribe medication. 

Pharmacists - who are represented by one of the most powerful political lobbies in Australia and have fought hard to carve out a protected place in the medical system - will be given the power to do what GPs do; diagnose diseases and prescribe medications.

They will gain new powers as part of a state government pilot program, though some doctors warn it could put patients’ lives in danger.

The pilot will see chemists in 37 local government areas in north Queensland given the authority to formally diagnose 23 conditions, including asthma, type 2 diabetes and heart failure, without consulting a GP.

The trial will also allow pharmacists to prescribe the oral contraceptive pill, which the Therapeutic Goods Administration has specifically warned against.

Queensland Health says it has been working with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and other stakeholders on the scheme.

“The scope of the pilot is exploring an expanded role for community pharmacists,” a department spokesperson said.

“Details of the parameters of the trial, including the conditions for inclusion and professional prerequisites for participating pharmacists are yet to be finalised.”

The Australian Medical Association Queensland (AMA) - a lobby for GPs - is concerned that the scheme could lead to significant misdiagnosis of potentially serious conditions. The group also says it could fragment care and undermine efforts to control antibiotic prescribing.

“They want people in north Queensland to be treated by somebody with a four-year qualification compared to somebody like a GP with 12 years of training,” AMA Queensland president Dr Chris Perry says.

“People with asthma will die. People with diabetes have a good chance of dying.

“It's second-rate medicine for people in north Queensland.

“It's just dangerous.”

The AMA has withdrawn its representative from a steering committee behind the trial.

Queensland Rural Doctors Association Queensland president Michael Reinke says rural areas are facing a shortage of doctors, but describes the pharmacy scheme as a cheap solution to a systemic problem.

“This appears to be a bandaid measure to provide the ability for patients to get repeat prescriptions for their regular medicines without having any medical review by a qualified doctor,” Dr Reinke said.

“The people in rural Queensland deserve proper medical services.

“By having pharmacists prescribe [medication] makes it less attractive for doctors to go to the area.

“You need to have qualified doctors to provide emergency care.

“This is just going to exacerbate the problems we have at the moment.”

The pilot program is set to start in coming months.