Pharmacy location strife
October 11, 2011
THE Government should delay
the implementation of the new
pharmacy location rules to allow
affected pharmacists time to
prepare for the changes, rather than
having just a few weeks between
the announcement and the
implementation, according to a
concerned PD reader.
Speaking to Pharmacy Daily this
morning, the rural pharmacist, who
didn’t want to be named, said that
the removal of the long distance
relocation rule will significantly
drop the value of his business.
“If the boom ends and the
pharmacy is no longer viable, in the
past we could have relocated, but
now we don’t have that option,”
the pharmacist said.
“As it stands we either wear a
significant loss and keep the
pharmacy open, or we take a small
loss now and close it in just a few
weeks.
“I don’t believe that was the
intention of the new legislation, but
that is its result,” he added.
The pharmacist has called on the
Pharmacy Guild and the Government
to delay the implementation
of the new rules to allow everyone
who is impacted time for further
consultation, and to prepare for
their impact.
Failing that, the pharmacist has
called for compensation for
affected pharmacists.
MEANWHILE the Pharmacy Guild
has responded to industry
grumblings, saying that location
rules are reviewed by the
Government every few years to
take into account the changing
environments that they exist within.
“This is the longest period of time
that the rules have been in place,”
said National Guild President, Kos
Sclavos, who added the new
location rules come almost one and
a half years after the review and
associated changes would usually
have been put in place.
“These changes should come as no
surprise to pharmacists,” he added.
Discussing the reasoning behind
the amendments Sclavos told PD
the Government wanted to address
“perceived manipulations and
rorting of the current rules”.
“The rules are there to ensure the
equitable distribution of
pharmaceuticals to the public.
“It was never their intention to
create profitability for pharmacists.
“The Government does not
support a trade in licenses, however
inadvertently this has been a result
of the current rules, but that’s not
what they were there for.
“It is not surprising that the
Government would want to address
issues with back filling and license
trading,” he added.
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