Czech pharmacies reject govt's Rx charge plan

The Czech Republic's Chamber of Pharmacists has announced that its members will refuse to collect patient charges for prescription drugs as outlined by the country's Health Ministry. The Ministry has introduced higher patient charges for prescription drugs than originally indicated in a new draft of the government's health reform legislation. The new proposals add in charges for visits to general practitioners and also increase those for prescribed drugs to 1.07 euros ($1.45) per prescription.

Tomas Julinek, the Health Minister, is due to propose the legislation in the near future with the intention that it will take effect in January next year. The charges are collected on behalf of all patients over three years old. However, the pharmacists' leader, Lubomir Chudoba, said the Ministry has been warned that pharmacists will not collect the increased charges. He said these would have to be collected by doctors in order to make certain that patients received their prescribed drugs.

Mr Chuboda claimed that many patients do not collect their medicines from pharmacies at present, because they cannot afford the charges. The pharmacy organization has also said that, while part of the patient charge's income would benefit the pharmacies, they would have to spend heavily on new equipment and software. The government's proposals on charges are rejected by the Social Democratic (ESSD) opposition and by the Communist Party (KSEM).