A THREE-DAY stalemate over expired practising certificates for pharmacists to operate received a balm late Monday with news that Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh had signed regulations to extend their validity.
On Friday, Ministry of Health attorneys wrote to the Pharmacy Board to demand it issue certificates to all pharmacists who had paid their fees. By Saturday, the TT Chamber of Commerce had urged that pharmacies be allowed to carry out their vital role of dispensing drugs.
On Sunday the ministry, in a statement, said that as January 15 fell on a Sunday, pharmacists had until Monday to pay their fees.
That statement alleged the Pharmacy Board council had refused to promise to comply with the law and issue practising certificates. It said the ministry would make regulations to temporarily extend the life of all practising certificates previously issued to pharmacists for January 15, 2022 to January 14, 2023, to a sufficient period, such that "the system of health care in the country was not compromised by the council’s failure to issue renewal practising certificates for the period January 15, 2023 to January 14, 2024."
On Monday morning, Pharmacy Board president Andrew Rahaman said at a news conference that Deyalsingh could easily solve the imbroglio by simply recognising as valid, the signature of outgoing secretary/registrar Sue-Ann Joseph on documents. He said this would be simpler than amending the Pharmacy Act in Parliament.
The news conference was held at the board's office at the Professional Centre, Fitzblackman Drive, Port of Spain.
Deyalsingh, in an immediate response, told Newsday by WhatsApp, "I will not be engaged in a public tit-for-tat with Mr Rahaman.
"To protect the public interest, I will speak when we have a legal solution to the matter as advised by the attorneys."
By Monday evening, the ministry issued a statement headlined “Non-issuance of practising certificates to pharmacists.”
It said the ministry acknowledged public concerns about "the failure of the Council of the Pharmacy Board of TT, to issue practising certificates for the period January 15, 2023–January 14, 2024 to pharmacists who have duly paid their annual retention fees."
The ministry assured the public of measures taken to ensure no disruption of pharmaceutical services in either the public or the private health sectors.
[caption id="attachment_996170" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Pharmacy Board president Andrew Rahaman at Monday's news conference at the board's office at the Professional Centre Building, Wrightson Road Extension, Port of Spain. Photo by Sureash Cholai[/caption]
Earlier on Monday, Rahaman again advocated for an increase of the fees for certificates to help properly fund the board's operations and to be on par with registration fees for medical doctors and nurses.
On Friday attorney Vishma Jaisingh, representing Deyalsingh, wrote to Rahaman saying pharmacists were advised to pay a fee higher than the $150
