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Has Dublin got an overabundance of/over reliance on Pharmacies?

  • 23-02-2009 4:39pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,443 ✭✭✭


    I live in Dublin South West. Within about a mile radius of my home there must be about 6 Pharmacies that I can think of. Have we got too many of them ?
    At this very minute I'm in Glasgow where there doesn't seem to be as many, not least that I can see or find. They're there but not as many of them - maybe this has something to do with the NHS' way it opperates.

    Am I on to something here or am I crazy *?


    *NB: not seeking for med advice there :p


Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,226 ✭✭✭taram


    I live in Cork city, and there's one pharmacy on each of the three roads extending from my road. No idea how they're in business tbh. But of course, none of them open late, or on Sundays, or early Saturday. :P


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 856 ✭✭✭ergo


    I remember debating this on another thread a while back

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=55526143#post55526143

    and I'll just quote someone from that
    Originally Posted by goldenmaverick

    An example of a country at the mythical average is Norway. Norway has a population similar to Ireland and has 600 pharmacies controlled by 3 chains.

    Ireland has 1600 pharmacies.

    No reason for such a high margin once you are happy with 1000 less pharmacies that is

    I suppose you could draw some conclusions from that...


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 124 ✭✭Ausone


    I think if we lost 60% of the pharmacies in the country, it would not be urban areas that would suffer.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,722 ✭✭✭anotherlostie


    Ausone wrote: »
    I think if we lost 60% of the pharmacies in the country, it would not be urban areas that would suffer.

    Exactly, country towns would see the closure of less profitable pharmacies and the people living in these towns would need to travel miles to the nearest pharmacy, and any of these people that would be those relying on public transport, well that's a service that is currently in freefall.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,571 ✭✭✭herya


    ergo wrote: »
    I remember debating this on another thread a while back

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=55526143#post55526143

    and I'll just quote someone from that



    I suppose you could draw some conclusions from that...

    It probably depends on what these pharmacies actually offer - in Ireland pharmacies sell cosmetics, makeup and various accessories such as umbrellas, sunglasses, hair dryers etc. I'm quite sure it's a big part of their business.

    On the continent pharmacies typically don't sell high street skincare (maybe some special sensitive skin/medical brands but that's it) and don't sell makeup items at all, same for accessories or appliances. You have separate shops for this. I don't know about Norway but I think in Sweden and Denmark you buy your makeup/girly stuff elsewhere which might explain their lower number of pharmacies.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 76 ✭✭onetrueone


    I live in Dublin South West. Within about a mile radius of my home there must be about 6 Pharmacies that I can think of. Have we got too many of them ?
    At this very minute I'm in Glasgow where there doesn't seem to be as many, not least that I can see or find. They're there but not as many of them - maybe this has something to do with the NHS' way it opperates.

    Am I on to something here or am I crazy *?


    *NB: not seeking for med advice there :p

    In Scotland A business person cannot set up a Pharmacy anywhere, Setting up Pharmacies is restricted to certain rules of population and infringement/competition for existing Pharmacies -euphemisticaly termed "Control of entry".
    No such rules exist in Ireland.
    Irish Pharmacies are greater in number but also have longer opening hours than Scotish Pharmacies in general


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,658 ✭✭✭old boy


    in new york city there is one every block, all one outfit, duane & (i forget).


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 76 ✭✭onetrueone


    old boy wrote: »
    in new york city there is one every block, all one outfit, duane & (i forget).

    Duane and Reed

    Did you spot the cigarettes for sale at the Pharmacy counter?

    What a complete joke!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,443 ✭✭✭Red Sleeping Beauty


    onetrueone wrote: »
    In Scotland A business person cannot set up a Pharmacy anywhere, Setting up Pharmacies is restricted to certain rules of population and infringement/competition for existing Pharmacies -euphemisticaly termed "Control of entry".
    No such rules exist in Ireland.
    Irish Pharmacies are greater in number but also have longer opening hours than Scotish Pharmacies in general

    I see , that's interesting. Cheers for that.
    Over they also have the likes of your Superdrug and Boots - it's this a way to get around it ? They also have parmacies set up in their supermarkets such as Morrisons.

    To be honest I kind of like the availability in Dublin of being able to get stuff you can only get from a chemist - I don't like the business nature and price of the stuff :)

    £1.50 for an olbas oil inhaler stick in the UK
    €4.50 .................................... in Dublin

    So I like the idea of a restriction, pity there can't be a compromise somewhere, ie after hours pharmacies but with the same controls. Then again they have the NHS here which is an amazingly different system to Ireland's.
    onetrueone wrote: »
    Duane and Reed

    Did you spot the cigarettes for sale at the Pharmacy counter?

    What a complete joke!

    Ah sure their hospitals have bloody McDonalds in them!!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,945 ✭✭✭cuckoo


    taram wrote: »
    But of course, none of them open late, or on Sundays, or early Saturday. :P

    There are 5 within a 2 minute walk from my front door - some of which have (limited) late night opening.

    It'd be handy if in situations like that pharmacists were obliged to provide later/Sunday/Bank Holiday hours - they could be forced to operate a rota and have signs in their windows, eg 'Monday - pharmacy A open to 10pm, Tuesday - pharmacy B, etc'.

    When the pharmacists were in dispute with the government they were quick enough to have signs up in their windows boasting of the service they provide to the community.

    I'm not suggesting that they be forced to be open 24 hours a day - just that in situations like where i live where a large supply of pharmacies exist it should be a requirement of getting medical card business that they provide a better service regarding opening hours.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 911 ✭✭✭994


    In Paris, there are at least two on every street. But nary a Spar...


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,499 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    cuckoo wrote: »
    It'd be handy if in situations like that pharmacists were obliged to provide later/Sunday/Bank Holiday hours - they could be forced to operate a rota and have signs in their windows, eg 'Monday - pharmacy A open to 10pm, Tuesday - pharmacy B, etc'.
    When I lived in the Netherlands, all the local the pharmacies operated a scheme just like this, and they took it in turns, on I think, a weekly basis to provide night-time and Sunday/Bank Holiday cover. There was a notice in every pharmacy window, a notice in the local free weekly rag, and if you rang any of their phones out of hours you got a recorded message telling you which local pharmacy was open.

    All it takes a little organisation, and the will to do it.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 926 ✭✭✭drzhivago


    I live in Dublin South West. Within about a mile radius of my home there must be about 6 Pharmacies that I can think of. Have we got too many of them ?
    At this very minute I'm in Glasgow where there doesn't seem to be as many, not least that I can see or find. They're there but not as many of them - maybe this has something to do with the NHS' way it opperates.

    Am I on to something here or am I crazy *?

    They wouldnt be there unless they were maing money

    More of them is good for us means more competition and cheaper prices

    You would want to worry if there were too few

    I have an issue with opening hours though, very difficult to find a 24 hour pharmacy


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,722 ✭✭✭anotherlostie


    The reason it's very difficult to find a 24hr pharmacy in Dublin is because there isn't one, and it would be very difficult to reliably make back the cost of the pharmacist and security wages between midnight and 8am.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,443 ✭✭✭Red Sleeping Beauty


    I could nearly swear that Dublin used to have 24Hr Pharmacies - was there not one in Hardolds Cross ?
    What about in town ?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,237 ✭✭✭ceegee


    I don't really think theres much need for 24 hour pharmacies, theres just not enough demand. Most towns have at least one late opening pharmacy, most of which do little prescription business in the evenings, except for the usual person rushing in at closing time with a script written two days ago. Anyone who is too ill to wait until morning for some medicine should probably be seeing a doctor in any case.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 76 ✭✭onetrueone


    There are bucketloads of Pharmacies that open until 10 at 6/7 nights a week.
    Does anyone know of any Dentist surgeries/Opticans that open until that late?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,443 ✭✭✭Red Sleeping Beauty


    Dentists don't open past 5 usually
    My GP doesn't sit past half 3 :)


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