By Editor

 

The Pharmacy Council of Thailand has warned all drug stores to have at least one pharmacist on duty starting from October 1st or their licences would be revoked.

 

Assoc Prof Kitti Pithaknitinan, president of the council, said that the council has issued a circular to all drug stores.

 

Kitti said the warning was issued because the leniency for drug stores to have pharmacists on standby for at least three hours a day would expire at the end of this month.

 

The Pharmacy Act enacted in 1967 required all pharmacies to have at least one pharmacist on duty. But a legal amendment was issued in 1979 granting leniency that allowed the pharmacies to have one pharmacist on standby for three hours.

 

A pharmacy can only operate with a registered pharmacist in the shop. If a drug store does not have a pharmacist on standby while it is open, the pharmacist in charge of the shop will see his or her pharmacist licence suspended or revoked by the council, Kitti said. The revocation will automatically cancel the drug sale licence of the drug store, he explained.

 

The law also requires all pharmacies to carry the name tags of pharmacists on standby at all times, Kitti added.

 

Source: https://royalcoastreview.com/2022/09/drug-stores-now-required-to-always-have-a-pharmacist-on-duty/

 

-- © Copyright Royal Coast Review 2022-09-30

 

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Well, this will shut down Boots almost immediately.

12 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Well, this will shut down Boots almost immediately.

Fancy a wager on that?

A couple of weeks ago I was in need of some medicine so went to a well known shop in our nearest mall and found no pharmacist so cannot have. Went to the other mall where there are 2 well known ones and the same story, in the end my wife got on her motorcycle and toured the town to find one actually open and working. We later found out that the pharmacists in both malls don’t actually start work until around 11:00 am. 

This copies the law in the uk. However in the uk No pharmacists = can't even sell shampoo etc in the shop so shop is closed.

There were times that you could get almost any medicine you wanted form Thai pharmacies, now day, if you ask for something that needs prescription they will tell you to go see a doctor, i guess the good days are gone now...

It was especially galling during the Covid lockdown, when the only places allowed to be open were grocery stores, post offices, and pharmacies, and then there weren't any pharmacists to dispense medicine.

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

There were times that you could get almost any medicine you wanted form Thai pharmacies, now day, if you ask for something that needs prescription they will tell you to go see a doctor, i guess the good days are gone now...

When I first came here, you get amphetamines in the form of slimming pills, codein mixed with paracetamol, tramadol, tranquillisiers pseudoephedrine etc without prescription,  Some of it like the codeine was openly out on the racks.

A good move if enforced.

It's annoying to approach this wannabee pharmacies in malls and just see the blinds with the pharmaceuticals down.

Better close them totally as usual drugstore stuff is available everywhere.

 

3 hours ago, John Drake said:

Well, this will shut down Boots almost immediately.

Ha ha. Boots does seem to be the worst offender. I never go to a small Boots for drugs because its usually a waste of time. I expect they will take the pharmacies out of the all the smaller stores and be like Watsons and probably close some of them altogether. When they first set up in Thailand during the 1997-98 financial crisis, they opened lots of stores around the country to see which worked best and closed down the duds when the leases ran out. Now they've expanded a lot again.

3 hours ago, John Drake said:

Well, this will shut down Boots almost immediately.

The Boots stores I frequently visit here in Bangkok, have always had closed for medicine sale, when no pharmacist in the shop.

5 minutes ago, Xonax said:

The Boots stores I frequently visit here in Bangkok, have always had closed for medicine sale, when no pharmacist in the shop.

I stopped going to Boots a couple of years ago, because you could see the curtain pulled down on the medicines behind the counter before you even entered. P&F does a better job of staffing their stores with pharmacists. And in an emergency, I will still go there to fill out my medicine list. But nowadays there is a better alternative in Bangkok. Just go to pharmacy row near Siriraj. 

I have been told by a pharmacy operator that they cannot survive on selling medicine alone.  They need to sell groceries, including food and cosmetics.  More importantly, they need China tourists.

This is a stupid requirement.

Seem to recall them making this a requirement about four or five years ago.

Good. This might hinder unqualified pretty young things in white lab coats from selling customers unsuitable and even dangerous medications.

1 hour ago, John Drake said:

I stopped going to Boots a couple of years ago, because you could see the curtain pulled down on the medicines behind the counter before you even entered. P&F does a better job of staffing their stores with pharmacists. And in an emergency, I will still go there to fill out my medicine list. But nowadays there is a better alternative in Bangkok. Just go to pharmacy row near Siriraj. 

Recently went to Watsons, Boots and Pure, no pharmacist in any and not lunch time. What do they get up to?

Most will close then, even Fascino rarely has a pharmacist on duty in some branches

5 hours ago, BritScot said:

This copies the law in the uk. However in the uk No pharmacists = can't even sell shampoo etc in the shop so shop is closed.

Not so. In UK, there are "Pharmacists", and there are "Dispensing Chemists"......different levels of certification and "competence“.

The shop can sell shampoo etc., no problem, and OTC (over the counter) drugs such as aspirin, with  o qualified person present. Many medications require to be "dispensed" in the presence of a DC, some hard or dangerpus drugs require the supervision of a Pharmacist......who may also ne qualofied to give medical advice and even minor procedures.

6 hours ago, John Drake said:

Well, this will shut down Boots almost immediately.

Up until a few months ago the beach area Boots in phuket had their med counter closed completely and only sold non meds. I’ve always found a pharmacist in Boots Pattaya/Bangkok and phuket’ town before, and if there isn’t one on duty they pull a blind down over the products. 
Last time in Jomtien a kid of about 14 served me !!! 

4 hours ago, Dogmatix said:

When I first came here, you get amphetamines in the form of slimming pills, codein mixed with paracetamol, tramadol, tranquillisiers pseudoephedrine etc without prescription,  Some of it like the codeine was openly out on the racks.

45  years ago I'd buy some Valium when I took the overnight bus to BKK.  Lots of other stuff was available, I'm sure.

7 hours ago, webfact said:

A pharmacy can only operate with a registered pharmacist in the shop. If a drug store does not have a pharmacist on standby while it is open, the pharmacist in charge of the shop will see his or her pharmacist licence suspended or revoked by the council, Kitti said. The revocation will automatically cancel the drug sale licence of the drug store, he explained.

 

The law also requires all pharmacies to carry the name tags of pharmacists on standby at all times, Kitti added.

Confusing , how many pharmacists are in the shop now or standby? Non registered, registered?

Standby is something different then being present in shop.

I dont get it. Just say pharmacy only sells medicine (by prescription) when a registered pharmacist is there.

Make a shift in what is real medicine (prescription only by doctor) or not. Only to be delivered when registered pharmacist is there.and otherwise not.

Where I live it is often the pharmacists' mother or grandmother who is behind the counter while the pharmacist is out working at the hospital.  This is going to put a lot of the grannies out of work!

Pharmacy Owners are going to continue... and now the other issues, in Thailand, MD dispense medication, what will happen if only the Nurse or NP is on duty and seeing patients?

 

 

4 hours ago, thairookie said:

I have been told by a pharmacy operator that they cannot survive on selling medicine alone.  They need to sell groceries, including food and cosmetics.  More importantly, they need China tourists.

Mine sells penis shaped candles, I kid you not.

This will be enforced as much as blocking parking in front of shops. Never

16 hours ago, webfact said:

A pharmacy can only operate with a registered pharmacist in the shop. If a drug store does not have a pharmacist on standby while it is open, the pharmacist in charge of the shop will see his or her pharmacist licence suspended or revoked by the council, Kitti said. The revocation will automatically cancel the drug sale licence of the drug store, he explained.

And I wonder how they will enforce this nationwide?

So does this mean these pharmacies can legally sell their drugs?

13 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Most will close then, even Fascino rarely has a pharmacist on duty in some branches

Correct.......All you non thinking cheerleaders for this , do realize this is a death sentence for most pharmacy's...

My local Lotus has a well staffed pharmacy I believe on a sublet basis.  Not open until 11:00 on Sunday. I can work with that. The duty pharmacists are knowlegable and helpful.