GREECE: Three-day pharmacists strike starts

Record ID: 340433

  • Title: GREECE: Three-day pharmacists strike starts
  • Date: 20th January 2011
  • Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (JANUARY 19, 2011) (REUTERS) NEIGHBOURHOOD PHARMACY CLOSED WITH ITS SHUTTERS PULLED DOWN PHARMACY SIGN OTHER PHARMACY WITH SHUTTERS PULLED DOWN SHUTTERS ACROSS PHARMACY DOORS SIGN ON DOOR READING STRIKE (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) PRESIDENT OF THE GREEK PHARMACISTS ASSOCIATION THEODORE ABATZOGLOU SAYING: "We want pharmacies to belong to pharmacists, the gove
  • Embargoed: 4th February 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece, Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA18NO5C74MGTZNO87AGEQWJF2J
  • Story Text: A strike on Wednesday (January 19) shut down pharmacies for three days in Greece, the only sources to buy prescription drugs in the country, as a bill to liberalise the trade was due to be submitted to parliament.
    Prescription drugs in Greece are sold only at small, privately owned neighbourhood pharmacies.
    Pharmacists fear liberalising the trade will bring in large retail drugstores and introduce drug sales at supermarkets, creating more competition. They say the personal neighbourhood pharmacy where the chemist has a relationship with its customers will disappear.
    "We want pharmacies to belong to pharmacists, the government is promoting commercial interests. We believe this will change the character of the neighbourhood pharmacy. First hand care will disappear, and the entire system will become commercial. We are primarily opposed to this," said President of the Greek Pharmacists Association, Theodore Abatzoglou.
    The government also wants to increase the working hours of pharmacies. Pharmacies close in the afternoon and not all open on Saturdays, but take turns opening each week. They are closed on Sundays. Pharmacists say they cannot afford to hire more staff to stay open longer hours.
    "We are doing the right thing. This intervention will help to reduce drug prices, which is positive for the consumer, health plans, and the state, and will allow for quicker and easier service for consumers," said Health Minister Andreas Loverdos of the new bill.
    Pharmacists kept what they called a small selective number of "emergency" pharmacies open on Wednesday for those in dire need of prescriptions.
    The government is liberalising several regulated professions besides pharmacists, including lawyers, notaries, truck drivers and taxi drivers, in order, it says, to improve competitiveness, create more jobs, and induce competitive prices.
    The bill is seen as the next test in the series of government reforms by the government to reduce its debt and deficit as it continues to receive aid from the IMF and European Union. The reforms continue to cause protests and strikes from various labour groups and unions.
    Lawyers and notaries have also criticised the law, while truck drivers staged weeks of protests last year over the new legislation. Lawyers countrywide, except in Athens, said they would stay away from working for three days also.
    But a poll on January 16 by Greek pollster ALCO for a local newspaper showed 63 percent of the public favours the liberalisation of these "closed" professions.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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