The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

Pharmacies yesterday said the COVID-19 easing unveiled by the Prime Minister will boost revenues and staff hours while also improving healthcare-related services offered to customers.

Shantia McBride, the Bahamas Pharmaceutical Association's (BPA) president, told Tribune Business that the end to curb-side restrictions, together with longer opening hours and an end to weekend lockdowns, would benefit all stakeholders.

"We are appreciative of the Competent Authority’s consideration, and that the Prime Minister saw it fit that pharmacies will be able to serve our patients one-on-one so that we could give more private consultations to patients," she said.

"We can also now assist those patients who may need recommendations for over-the-counter medications or other ailments as it is cold and flu season. We are grateful and thankful that we can now serve our public.”

Speaking to the economic benefits from the latest relaxation, Ms McBride added: "We are open longer due to the ease of restrictions on lockdowns, so therefore revenue will increase. It will help our economy and our staff by increased hours, which would bring in increased revenue.

”But we will still be social distancing the staff, and we still may have to have persons on the outside for additional assistance with managing the line because we are still only allowing a certain amount of persons in per square feet. We are excited to see our patients once again.... at least they are allowed to come in and be able to access better healthcare services.”

Ms McBride explained that pharmacies will only permit one customer for every 30 square feet of floor space, so smaller outlets may only be able to admit two to three persons at a time. For larger stores, that will likely mean a maximum of about six to eight persons.

“Most of our pharmacies have equipped themselves with air purifiers," she added, "and we are now looking at ways where we can sanitise our stores on a daily basis, instead of just having the fogging specialist come in.

"We need that daily cleaning air flow, and we have deployed the air purifiers within our different rooms within the pharmacies. There are some pharmacies that do self-fogging every evening.

“Some stores have purchased the fogging devices themselves to fog the stores. We have purchased the cleaning chemical supplies that the specialists have, so we can do the cleaning on a daily basis. So we have all done all of that to make sure that we can increase our protection for the public.”