Pharmacists warn rising costs must be tackled as jobs go, income drops

Job losses and business closures are set to mount in the pharmacy sector unless a rise in operating costs is tackled and cuts to pharmacy income are stopped, a survey has warned.

In the latest edition of its quarterly business trends survey, the Irish Pharmacy Union says that 40% of pharmacists have seen an increase in costs — energy costs, waste charges and commercial rates, in particular — since the turn of the year with a record number of operators reporting job cuts.

As many as 19% of survey respondents said they employed fewer staff in the first quarter, up from 11% in the previous edition of the study. But, the threat of further cuts in Government payment schemes and the introduction of reference pricing are the biggest concerns facing Irish pharmacists, the survey suggests.