The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7243 p461
5 April 2003

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Pharmacists urged to continue campaigning against the Office of Fair Trading’s call for deregulation

Pharmacists should continue campaigning activity against the Office of Fair Trading's recommendation on deregulation, Hemant Patel, a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Council, told The Journal this week. "Some people are disappointed with Patricia Hewitt's recent comments," Mr Patel explained.

He said that he is aware of concerns that the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry's announcements that a balanced package of measures rather than deregulation is the way forward have served to dampen the effectiveness of the campaign against the OFT recommendation. "I feel strongly that we must carry on the campaign with the same vigour and energy as before," Mr Patel said. He highlights pharmacists in England as facing a particularly tough battle.

Last week, Mr Patel was one of a number of pharmacists who presented a petition supporting community pharmacy and opposing the OFT report to Secretary of State for Health Alan Milburn. The pharmacists from east London — where Mr Patel is local pharmaceutical committee secretary, — included Dilip Desai, Avnish Shah, Mohammed Sayeed and Laxmi Chohan. The petition contained over 2,000 signatures collected in one-week in the Rainham area. The group was accompanied by local MP Jon Cruddas (Lab, Dagenham).

However, Mr Patel's campaign does not stop there. This week he has met Health Minister David Lammy to discuss the OFT report and hopes to meet Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt soon.