Pharmacies to be allowed to stay open 24 hours

The Ministry of Health will allow pharmacies to remain open around the clock from the beginning of next year. Dr. Essa Ahmed Al Mansouri, Director of the Pharmacy and Medicine Control Department, said the new system would operate on a trial basis for six months and, depending on its success, would be extended throughout the year.

The law states that the Pharmacy and Medicine Control Department should arrange morning and evening shifts among pharmacies in each area. Mansouri said some pharmacies had responded positively to the proposal.

The Ministry of Health will monitor the performance of those pharmacies which stay open 24 hours. They should be on main roads with easy access, should have medicines required in emergencies and for chronic ailments, and should have notices stating in Arabic and English that they are open 24 hours a day.

"The pharmacies must employ at least three pharmacists to cover the working hours, with each person working only eight hours a day according to the Labour Law."

Pharmacies wishing to remain open around the clock need permission from the Ministry of Health. "The door is open for all capable pharmacies to provide this service," Al Mansouri said.