MP LISTENS TO PHARMACISTS' CONCERNS
4th March 2003

Stephen Timms, MP for East Ham, met with Mr Ghir, owner of Ghir Pharmacies, and Mr Hemant Patel, Secretary of North-East London Local Pharmaceutical Committee, last Friday to discuss the possible impact of lifting the current restrictions on dispensing NHS prescriptions.

The meeting follows the publication of a report by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) on the liberalisation of the pharmacy market on 17 January 2003. The report recommended that the current restrictions on dispensing NHS prescriptions should be lifted. These require owners of pharmacies to apply to the relevant Primary Care Trust for a dispensing contract, which they must have in order to be allowed to dispense NHS prescriptions. The investigation examined whether markets and the existing regulations relating to NHS prescriptions are working well for consumers.

However, Mr Ghir and Mr Patel were concerned that lifting regulations would enable more supermarkets to stock pharmaceuticals which could hit the sales of local pharmacies. Mr Timms was presented with a petition signed by 216 customers of Ghir Pharmacies, and 131 postcards calling on the Government not to adopt the OFT's recommendation.

Stephen Timms commented, "I valued Friday's discussions on the possible effects of deregulating the pharmacy market, and I intend to take this matter up with the Government."

An accompanying photo can be found by clicking here.

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