Changes to pharmacy regulations raise possibility of action

The GRTU, Association of General Retailers and Traders, warned yesterday it was prepared to order action by pharmacy owners in protest against proposed amendments to the Pharmacy Licensing Regulations, published in the Government Gazette on November 21.

The main problem areas are a lowering of the population threshold required for the granting of new pharmacy licences, and the distribution of free medicines by the pharmacies on behalf of the government.

GRTU director-general Vince Farrugia said at a meeting for the owners yesterday that the way the regulations had been drafted was not in the spirit of what had been agreed in talks last March and constituted a "breach of faith."

He said the actions the GRTU could order would include the total, or partial closure of pharmacies.

He said that last March the government had agreed that community pharmacy licences would be issued according to a geo-demographic plan.

The regulations had always laid down that there should be 3,000 inhabitants to every pharmacy, but this was now being diluted to a pharmacy per 1,800 inhabitants, a proposal which the GRTU insisted was unacceptable.

There were currently 209 pharmacies, but they could be increased by another 170 if the regulations were changed as proposed, he said. That would mean as many as five more pharmacies in Zabbar, four more each in San Gwann and Fgura, and another three each in Mosta, Qormi, Siggiewi and Zejtun, among others in many other localities.

Mr Farrugia said that while consolidating the community pharmacy licences, the GRTU intended to speed up the agreement for the dispensing of free medicines from pharmacies.

However, the GRTU was opposed to a proposal that would oblige every pharmacy owner to dispense free medicines on behalf of the government. Nowhere in the world were pharmacists forced to participate in the national pharmaceutical distribution, or dispensing system.

Mr Farrugia said a comment by the health minister that he was not obliged by law to hold discussions went against the policy of consultation that the government was promoting and was completely contrary to the spirit of the EU.

Chamber of Pharmacists president Mary Ann Sant Fournier said the chamber did not agree with the proposed changes as they did not reflect the recommendations of the Joint Committee Report, signed by the government, the GRTU and the chamber.

The chamber's council is calling an extraordinary general meeting on Wednesday.