125 stories for 125 years

Bill Scott

William Scott graduated from the college in 1970. He was elected Victorian president of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia in 1996 and stepped down from that role in 2005. During this period, he held the important national positions of vice-president and chair of the Health Economics Committee. He led the Guild team that successfully negotiated the multi-billion dollar Third and Fourth Community Pharmacy Agreements with the Commonwealth Government. Negotiations for both Agreements were difficult and protracted. In the latter case, they stretched over eight months and involved 51 separate meetings with the Department and the Minister for Health and Ageing, Tony Abbott. For his significant contribution to community pharmacy in Australia, Bill was given Honorary Life Membership, the highest award that the Guild can offer.

Bill is joint proprietor of three Quality Care accredited community pharmacies in Melbourne and also a director of Sigma Pharmaceuticals Ltd. He has chaired committees on the GST and its impact on pharmacy, Y2K and the review of the Victorian Pharmacy Act 1974. He is the Guild’s representative on the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s General Council and has been pharmacy’s representative on the HealthConnect Working Group. He has an intimate knowledge of the financial management implications of issues currently facing pharmacy.

A co-founder of Whittlesea and Lalor Community Health Centres, Bill is also a member of the board that built the Bundoora Extended Care Centre. He has been a representative of community healthcare, aged care and migrant healthcare, and has been involved in local government as a member of Whittlesea Council and chair of the Region of Councils (No 14). He is currently chair of Healthlinks, the company that delivers electronic consumer medicine information to pharmacy and the medical profession on behalf of Australia’s pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Bill is a firm believer in making a contribution to his profession and to the advancement of retail pharmacy. He is a strong advocate of pharmacy’s critical role in contributing to the health and wellbeing of the community and would like to see more vibrant young pharmacists taking an active role in retail pharmacy and professional societies such as the Guild. Bill has been a board member of the Victorian College of Pharmacy Foundation since 2001.

He was recently appointed chairman of PCA NU Systems Pty Ltd, a company that supplies dispensing software to community pharmacies throughout Australia. He was appointed to this position due to the breadth of his knowledge in dealing with government, his understanding of the ‘e-issues’ in healthcare and his ability to translate these developments into practical pharmacy operations.

Bill is a keen sportsperson. In 2006, he participated in the post Tour de France cycling event. He is a member of the Portsea Surf Lifesaving Club and also found time to participate as a runner in the Olympic Games Torch Relay in July 2000.