First it was the Whitecoat March to the Legislature. Now it is the “Barrhead Rally.”
Local pharmacists are preparing to make their voices heard with a street demonstration on Thursday, April 11 against government’s proposed generic drug cuts.
They plan to take their protest to Barrhead-Westlock-Morinville MLA Maureen Kubinec’s Main Street office. Kubinec will then be invited to speak.
Similar rallies will be held in other parts of the province, including Edmonton, Calgary, Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Red Deer and Wainwright.
The woman behind Barrhead’s rally is Rita Lyster, who runs Rita’s Apothecary &Home Healthcare in Main Street.
“The focus of our rally is respect,” said Lyster last Thursday. “Our message is this: the current agreement that has been put forth is not adequate to sustain our current business model.
“Although we support lower drug costs, we need adequate re-investment into alternative revenue streams. We also need transition time both for drug inventory but also for us to figure out how to adjust our businesses to this new reality.”
Lyster said pharmacists, staff, customers, nurses and doctors were being invited to take part in the demonstration, which will feature speeches by spokespersons for Barrhead Co-op, the IGA and Rexall – the three local chains with pharmacies.
It will begin with a noon gathering at Barrhead Co-op. Marchers will then walk down east side of the sidewalk to the pedestrian crossing at Memorial Park, before crossing to the IGA.
The protesters will proceed south to Ken Kowalski Way, to the corner of 50th Street and walk down the west sidewalk to Rexall.
After that, they will march down to the corner, stopping in front of Rita’s Apothecary, where Lyster will speak.
The next stop will be Fyfe’s, the town’s other independent pharmacy, before the demonstrators converge on Kubinec’s office.
News of the protest marches coincided with Health Minister Fred Horne’s announcement that pharmacists will get a month-long reprieve before the province lower generic drug prices.
Pharmacists say the plan to cut the price for generic drugs to 18 per cent of brand name rates from 35 per cent will cut off a major supply of revenue.
Currently, if pharmacists buy enough product from drug suppliers, the companies will send them back money worth 40 to 50 per cent of their purchase.
Price reductions mean suppliers won’t be able to afford the same volume deals, pharmacists argue.
There are now fears of pharmacies closing, laying off staff or reducing hours.
Horne says he understands pharmacists’ concerns, but says lower prices will benefit Albertans and save the province $90 million.
“I’m providing a 30-day washout period,” he said via Twitter last Thursday.
The new pricing was set to come into force on May 1, but will now be delayed.
“The Twitter announcement is very welcome and a good start,” said Lyster. “More is needed for long-term sustainability.”
She added the proposed price cuts would affect other healthcare professionals, especially physicians and nurses in emergency rooms as the ability of pharmacists to play their traditional “triage” role may have a service fee attached.
On Thursday, March 21, Lyster was among 300 people who defied a fierce snowstorm to take part in a march on the Alberta Legislature in Edmonton.
Her hopes of a big local turnout, however, were not realized. A bus she chartered, with room for 54 people, arrived in Edmonton with just three on board.
This time she hopes for a much bigger Barrhead representation, particularly with the return of spring weather.
“We will be wearing white lab coats again,” she said. “We will also have a banner.”
Anyone interested in the latest protest should ring Lyster at 780-674-6656.
