Independent pharmacists think the future favours others
Proprietors of independent pharmacies believe that the prospects for the profession as a whole over the coming four years are better than they are for their own businesses.
A survey of 80 members of the 500-member Avicenna buying group found
that 72 per cent thought that the profession’s prospects were good
up to 2010. But only 66 per cent thought that this was true for their
own businesses. Seventy per cent
also
believed that the Government’s vision for pharmacy being at the
forefront of the provision of local health care was unrealistic due to
insufficient funding.
Many admitted that they were still not ready for the new contract even
though they considered it to offer opportunities for their businesses.
Two thirds of those questioned said that they were only half-prepared.
Lack of time to make preparations was cited as the main problem, although
many said that they did not understand the contract and needed more guidance
and support.
Commenting on the findings, Avicenna chairman Salim Jetha said that pharmacies
owned by the multiples had a head-start over independents because independents
had to make separate new contract preparations. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
Acrobat
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