National Guild "in no way condones any sexualised behaviour"
Following River Heads Pharmacy owner Mark McMurtrie’s inappropriate and unprofessional response to community members who objected to his Facebook post, which used s*xual innuendo to degrade elderly women, we took action.
We believe McMurtrie's inappropriate, unprofessional and degrading original post as well as his mocking dismissal of community members who objected - warranted further action. We reported our concerns to the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, the Pharmacy Board (via the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency – Ahpra), and the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC). We have also phoned the Office of the Health Ombudsman and made a formal complaint which is currently being examined.
We pointed out McMurtrie's
- dismissal of community members who objected to his "make the old ladies cream" post as "easily offended"
- defence of the post as humorous
- attempt to humiliate and intimidate a community member who contacted him privately to highlight the harmful nature of the post and urge him to remove it
- routine use of sexual innuendo in other social media posts on River Heads Pharmacy's Facebook and McMurtrie's personal Instagram.
Health practitioner + pilot McMurtrie (aka @sky_chemist on Instagram) routinely uses sexual innuendo to degrade women in social media posts
McMurtrie runs Community Flights - a charity described as 'closing the gap to healthcare access', and 'flying patients in need to medical appointments'. So we sent our concerns to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission too. We said we believe McMurtrie’s actions violate ACNC Governance Standards Standard 5, which requires Responsible People ‘to act honestly and fairly in the best interests of the charity’, and that the matter warrants an investigation by ACNC.
Since launching our campaign a number of women have contacted us alleging inappropriate contact and harassment from McMurtrie towards them or women they know of. At least one has made official complaints through the relevant medical bodies.
We've documented details of our reports and responses received below.
Pharmacy Guild of Australia
Our email of May 15 to Gerard Benedet, National Secretariat, Pharmacy Guild of Australia:
After two weeks, we hadn't heard back, so we sent a follow up email on May 30 asking when we could expect a response:
On June 5, we finally received a response. At first, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and its Queensland Branch told us they were unable to assist us, directing us instead to contact McMurtrie! If unresolved, we could contact the Health Ombudsman:
We appreciated a follow up email from Benedet, received June 19, with more information:
The Pharmacy in question is a non-member, membership of the Guild is voluntary and not compulsory. Had the Pharmacy been a member, we would have taken action under our rules.
The Pharmacy Guild in no way condones any sexualised behaviour or innuendo, in any form.
Ahpra
We first reported McMurtrie's serious and concerning actions to Ahpra via an online form on May 15. When after two weeks we hadn't heard back, we phoned to ask if our report had been received. Ahpra advised that it hadn't been and recommended we email them directly.
We sent this email to Ahpra on June 12, stating that McMurtrie's behaviour violated their Code of Ethics, Principle 8: Professional behaviour which states:
Practitioners must display a standard of professional behaviour that warrants the trust and respect of the community. This includes practising ethically and honestly.
We are waiting for a response.
Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission
Click image below to read our report to the ACNC:
We are waiting for a response.
Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC)
Renee Chopping on behalf of Collective Shout made a complaint to the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) June 12. Following is an extract:
"Members of the community expressed concern about the lack of respect for women demonstrated in the post. They objected to River Heads Pharmacy trading on harmful p*rn tropes and s*xual innuendo which normalise the degradation of elderly women and abusive practitioner-client relationships to promote business. They also expressed concern for the woman featured in the post, noting that her name is visible on the jar's label...
We believe the post promotes the idea that women and their bodies are always fair game to be s*xualised, objectified and mocked, at any age. This idea harms women by contributing to a culture in which we are seen as less than human, and in which violence against us is trivialised.
...we believe the depiction to be sinister: a practitioner viewing his vulnerable and trusting elderly, female clients as wanting and seeking s*xual favours from him, and he as willing to provide them.
We note the rising incidence of complaints about practitioner boundary violations reported to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency in recent years - by 223% in 2022-23 compared to the three years prior. Complaints included allegations of s*xual harassment and s*xual assault. River Heads Pharmacy's post is even more disturbing in light of this data.
We are calling on the HCCC to instruct River Heads Pharmacy to remove this post and provide guidance to its owner Mark McMurtrie reiterating its value of respect for community members, including in their marketing, advertising and social media posts."
A representative of the HCCC sent an email acknowledgement the same day and were informed "A member of the team will be in contact with you as soon as possible." We are waiting to be contacted.
See also
River Heads Pharmacy sexual innuendo post violating practitioner-patient boundaries
UPDATE: River Heads Pharmacy Post Resurfaces With Sarcasm and Targeted Ridicule
Add your comment