Coronavirus Kent: Pharmacy boss Amish Patel who runs Hodgson Pharmacy in Longfield explains how they are still getting medicines to people during Covid-19
06:00, 23 April 2020
A pharmacist says he feels as though the industry has been forgotten by the government in the fight against coronavirus.
Apart from hosptials, pharmacies across the county remain one of the only frontline health services still open to the public with many GP surgeries now operating by telephone and video consultations.
Pharmacist Amish Patel says a serious lack of PPE could stop them from being able to do their jobs.
Amish Patel, who has been a pharmacist for more than 12 years, runs the Hodgson Pharmacy in Longfield which his father set up in the 1980s.
He explains how the business in Station Road has had to cope with "a completely new way of working" and is fielding 10 times more calls than before the Covid-19 pandemic gripped the nation.
Staff wear masks every day and visors and screens are now in place by Mr Patel says the added cost of making sure they have PPE has been a burden on the business.
"It's a cost we really don't need and in the last six years we've been seeing funding cuts," he added.
"For PPE, I think pharmacies seem on the back foot with regards to the government.
"Rightly so hospitals are given the priority but other sectors like GPs are getting it but a lot have closed their doors.
"Our doors are still open so we do need it and have been forgotten in that respect.
"I've got a three month old baby at home and it's been tough to think about going home and potentially putting my family at risk."
Mr Patel's team is now working harder than ever to make sure vulnerable patients in the community get the vital medicines they need.
He said: "This week things have slightly died down and we're actively pushing our deliveries a bit more again.
"Our doors are still open so we do need it and have been forgotten in that respect"
"We're starting with the over 80s and the ones we can easily identify as vulnerable.
"Once we've got those medicines out we'll look at the over 75s and over 70s and we'll keep doing that as long as we're standing.
"The last four weeks have been up and down and there was a lot of panicking went on and people struggling to get their medicines.
"Our suppliers have been great and they're the unsung heroes. We get twice daily deliveries.
"The shelves did get empty but we are fully stocked and we keep going."
According to data from medicine distribution firm Alliance Healthcare, demand for supplies soared by 40% at the start of March.
Mr Patel said: "We're here on the frontline during this crisis. A lot of other healthcare professionals have closed their doors and doing it by telephone.
"There's been a variety of issues. People were ordering medicines in advance and thinking they wouldn't get out which did cause shortages in the market, suppliers and manufacturers couldn't keep up with demand.
"From a business point of view that created challenges because we have to pay for those before we get reimbursed.
"So there's been cashflow issues and led to spikes in medicine prices."
He said items like Calpol and other over-the-counter products had soared in price meaning many items such as hand sanitiser, although more expensive than before the crisis hit, are being sold at cost price.
