Wednesday, Jul 02, 2014
Manama: A decision by the Saudi health ministry to cancel the condition of a specific distance between pharmacies has been welcomed and criticised in equal measures.
The ministry on Wednesday said that it would no longer require a pharmacy to be at least 250 metres away in all directions from any other pharmacy.
The decision is to be implemented with immediate effect, the ministry said, local news site Sabq reported.
The cancellation of the distance condition meets a suggestion by pharmacy owners and achieve public interests in the availability of health and medical care, the report said.
However, some online users said that the decision would mean the “questionable multiplication of pharmacies in the country.”
“In the past, the distance condition was at least 500 metres,” Hamada, an online user said. “Then the condition was cancelled and we witnessed an impressive surge in the number of pharmacies, especially that the larger ones were able to open near much smaller ones but in prime locations. A new decision imposed the 250-metre condition, and now this criterion is being cancelled. There are hundreds of pharmacies in Riyadh and their monitoring is rather weak,” he posted.
Another user complained that Saudi streets had “more pharmacies than retail stories.”
Writing under the moniker of Wisemee, a blogger drew a comparison between the Saudi capital and Dubai in the UAE.
“Dubai is our neighbour and it is more advanced than we are,” Wisemee wrote. “If you take Shaikh Zayed Road for instance you will find very few pharmacies whereas in Riyadh you will find 100 pharmacies in every neighbourhood. I do not think we need such a high number,” Wisemee said.
Those who supported the health ministry’s decision praised its benefits and said that it would boost competition and result in better and smoother services.
“I do admire the interim health minister for his bold decisions,” Saad, another user, said.
By Habib Toumi Bureau Chief
Gulf News 2014. All rights reserved.
