The call has been made by the Latvian Pharmacists' Association, the Society of Pharmacies, the Latvian National Association of Drug Supply, the Latvian Pharmaceutical Care Association, the Latvian Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers, the Latvian Association of Free Pharmacists, the Association of Small Pharmacies, the Latvian Association of Pharmacists and has been joined by clinical pharmacists.
The public organizations say that their objections have not been taken into account when developing the new pricing policy.
"There are well-founded concerns that, if the new pricing system comes into force, many pharmacy branches in rural areas will close and the availability of medicines to people in rural areas of Latvia may be significantly restricted. Pharmacies that close in sparsely populated areas are unlikely to reopen there," say pharmacists.
According to them, the consequences could be a general deterioration in the health of the population and an increase in the number of progressed diseases.
The NGOs call for a meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss the potential risks and objections the industry has.
