Letting pharmacists initiate the oral contraceptive pill risks women’s health and undermines the use of more effective options, a federal Labor Senator warns.

Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah, a former infectious diseases specialist and general physician, has used a parliamentary speech to express concerns over the Victorian Government’s plan to allow pharmacists with extra training to write first-time pill scripts from July.

The Victorian Premier claims that the plan, announced this month, will save women the “hassle” of securing a bulk-billed GP appointment.

But the RACGP and the AMA are alarmed.