Pharmacist associations yesterday argued against a move by five pharmacists to have the Pharmacist’s Act (藥師法) declared unconstitutional.
The five pharmacists have asked the Council of Grand Justices for a constitutional interpretation on whether the law violates the Constitution by restricting pharmacists to one business location.
The grand justices heard an oral argument on Thursday last week on whether Article 11 of the act, stating that pharmacists registered and issued a practice license shall be restricted to one business location, violates the right to work, and the equality promised and protected by the Constitution.
Photo: Wei Yi-chia, Taipei Times
The Taiwan Pharmacist Association, dozens of local pharmacist associations and supporters held a press conference in Taipei to voice their concerns about the consequences of relaxing the restrictions.
They urged the grand justices to take their concerns into consideration before delivering a decision.
The petitioners have asked that the location restriction be repealed and for pharmacists — who as physicians are also qualified primary healthcare providers — to be allowed to register parallel practices in multiple locations.
The associations warned that requests would not only result in pharmacists being overworked and exploited by hospital operators, but that it would put public safety at risk.
According to the associations, as of November last year there were 38,223 certified pharmacists nationwide, an average of 623 pharmacists join the workforce every year and more than 8,000 students are currently enrolled in pharmacy studies.
These numbers show there is no shortage of certified pharmacists, the groups said. Other types of healthcare providers who are legally allowed to work in multiple location practices have far fewer qualified professionals entering their fields, the associations said.
Using certified nurses as an example, the associations said there are 300,000 certified nurses nationwide, but only 130,000 are actually employed as nurses.
The willingness of healthcare practitioners to work in their fields depends on satisfactory working environments and fair treatment, and has nothing to do with whether multiple locations are sanctioned.
“What pharmacists provide is a kind of ‘irreversible service,’ meaning that once the prescribed drugs have been provided to patients, it’s hard to recall the medications. Having an overworked pharmacist at a pharmacy or a pharmacist not being present at the counter would be detrimental to safety and public health,” National Health Insurance Civic Surveillance Alliance convener Huang Sue-ying (黃淑英) said.
“The system of checks and balances between physicians and pharmacists, with the former prescribing and the latter checking for potential errors, would also be harmed by the lifting of the restriction,” said Eva Teng (滕西華), the alliance’s spokesperson.
Taiwan Pharmacist Association secretary-general Eric Tseng (曾中龍) said there can be more than 10,000 drug items in a community pharmacy.
“How could an overworked or dispatched pharmacist, unfamiliar with the surroundings, rapidly and accurately provide a good service?” he said.
The appeal to the grand justices is basically an attempt by hospitals and clinics to reduce their operating costs, Tseng said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS