Prof Michael Dooley, Statewide Pharmacist, Victoria
Pharmacist Michael Dooley is upfront: the VAD medications taste horrible. “Whatever you think is bitter, double it, triple it,” he says. When Victoria became the first state to legalise VAD, Professor Dooley, one of the state’s most senior pharmacists, was given the job of selecting the medication and working out how best to get it to those who needed it. He had three goals. “Make it simple, make sure it’s supplied so no patient feels pressured to take it, but mainly, make sure that it would work, and not cause suffering.”
