Pharmacy owners crying out

SIX MONTHS AFTER the introduction of a payment system for medicine supplied by private pharmacies under the Barbados Drug Service (BDS), some owners are reporting heavy losses, with one saying his sales are down nearly 40 per cent.
One small pharmacy owner reported that on average he earned about $8 000 a month prior to the April 1 change. Now his earnings were around $2 000 to $3 000 a month, yet he had more paperwork, higher operating costs, principally electricity, and continued to employ the same number of people.
“I can’t go on like this,” he moaned.
Though not getting into specifics, David Lewis, president of the Barbados Association of Pharmacy Owners (BAPO), confirmed that his members were hurting financially.
 
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