The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Pharmaceutical Association’s president has sought to clarify the motive behind some pharmacies closing this week, saying it was not a slight to the government but to protect the businesses from facing penalties for failing to implement the new regulations.

“Our closing of doors wasn’t based on sticking it to the government,” Shantia McBride, the BPA president said on Friday.

Ms McBride spoke at the Rotary Club of East Nassau, where she explained that many pharmacies were not prepared to meet the price control expansion deadline of November 1 announced by the government.

Therefore, the decision to advise private pharmacies to close their doors was to prevent them from being fined, McBride said.

“I would say to you the pharmacy is heavily inspected,” she said. “My store may get inspected twice a month sometimes, so we know inspectors come. In the event that an inspector goes to any location, the first line item is $5,000, it's a $5,000 fine.”

She added: “So even if one location had been inspected, then a pharmacy could have closed. It's more or less to protect us from (that) because we were not ready for November 1. We knew that if an inspector came, we would have been fined so that was the necessity for closing that day (Tuesday).

The BPA president, on Monday, advised the group’s members that it was in their best interest to close their doors, which flowed into several private pharmacies shutting down operations.

However, on Wednesday the government and Bahamas Pharmaceutical Association were able to come to a “win-win” agreement that not only expanded the category of medications to the price control list but set uniformed margins of 20 percent and 40 percent markups for retail and wholesale operators respectively.

The compromise was announced Thursday, with Economic Affairs Minister Michael Halkitis saying it was “an even better outcome we believe than we originally had” in that now, medications for cancer and kidney ailments will be included.

Mr Halkitis also said the changes would come into effect with the stroke of a pen on Thursday evening.

“Our original amendment had margins ranging from in some cases 15 percent. Some were 18, some were 35 and some were 40 and the association expressed that it would be easier for them if they had one wholesale margin and one retail margin instead of two different margins for wholesale and two different margins for retail,” the minster said Thursday during a press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister.

Additionally, effective immediately the Public Hospitals Authority pharmacies have resumed regular hours of operation, PHA said in a statement Friday.

Princess Margaret Hospital is open Monday to Saturday 8am to 4pm, to fill outpatient prescriptions.

Grand Bahama Health Services pharmacies have also returned to regular hours: Eight Mile Rock Clinic 8am to 4pm, Freeport Community Clinic 8am to 4pm, Hawksbill Clinic 8am to 4pm and Pearce Plaza 9am to 5pm.

Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre has resumed its regular hours Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 9am to 12pm, to fill outpatient prescriptions.