The Pharmaceutical Society of SA (PSSA) has welcomed the pharmacy council’s intention to provide clear guidelines about service fees.
”The PSSA is relieved to know that pharmacists are going to be given clear guidance by their statutory body as to what a legal but fair charge would be,” said president Siddiq Tayob in a statement on Wednesday.
Since new regulations forced pharmacists to stop charging a mark-up on medicines, pharmacies have begun charging for a range of other services, so as to continue to run a profitable business.
The regulations allow pharmacists to charge for professional services, but there has been widespread outcry about the ”excessive and arbitrary” administration fees that consumers are now obliged to pay.
The council announced on Tuesday it was finalising rules as to what fees pharmacists could charge for their services.
Draft rules were published in October 2003, but a final document would be available soon, the council said.
Council president Peter Eagles said his organisation would consider the concerns of both pharmacists and consumers in their deliberations.
Tayob said: ”The society believes that publication of these rules will go a long way towards stabilising the retail pharmacy market.”
He also said the changes would benefit consumers in the long run because individuals would have more choice — they would only pay for those services that they required. – Sapa