Medicine availability 'poorest for a long time'

A global supply issue is causing medicine availability in Jersey to be the "poorest it has been for a long time", a pharmacist has said.

Chemists say the war in Iran and other world shortages mean some essential products are not getting through. People have been missing out on drugs for conditions such as cancer and high blood pressure.

Ben Shaw, from Reids' New Street pharmacy, said the shortages had been "a concern for a while". He said: "There's been a gradual - and it continues to get worse, I think - difficulty in obtaining medicines in a timely fashion." He urged people to be as organised as possible with their repeat prescriptions.

The States of Jersey have been approached for comment.

Shaw continued: "It's not to say that medicines disappear and we can't get them forever, but there's significant delays and, at any one time, there are thousands of different lines that we can't get hold of."

Shaw said because the pharmacy had to pay for its products in advance, it was causing a lot of issues.

He said: "It's only when we get a prescription and we hand it in at the end of the month that we get paid a few months later.

"We have to worry about the cost of our medicine, which is rising and also availability and local prescribing habits as well. Sometimes we're finding quite a tight line between getting the money and ordering."

Shaw said pharmacies in Jersey worked "very hard to keep everyone happy and to keep everyone safe", but keeping shelves stocked was not without its difficulties.

He said: "Sometimes we're having to tell people 'five days' and then we have to take into account, in Jersey, there are bank holidays, and then all our medicine comes over on the ferry.

"So we're also having to factor in the conditions of the sea, the ferry sailing times. Nothing's kept centrally in Jersey, it's all kept in the UK - if something's out of stock, then we have to try and obtain it from an alternative source or somewhere a little bit different."

To avoid missing out on prescriptions, Shaw advised people to be "more organised" if possible.

He said: "I would say the majority of people are lovely and very understanding and people have kind of almost learned with us that they have to be a bit more organised.

"Always come and speak to us and we will be upfront and prompt and honest about what we can do and how we can go forward - most of the time there is some kind of solution."

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