Greek Pharmacists to End Prescriptions on Credit

The Pan-Hellenic Pharmaceutical Association, which represents Greece’s 12,000 pharmacies, said its members will no longer supply drugs prescribed by the country’s National Organization for Health Care Provision without immediate payment in cash starting Sept. 1.

Pharmacists called on the organization, Greece’s largest state-run health care provider known as Eopyy, to pay outstanding debts of more than 85 days. They also want the government to immediately start financing Eopyy with an amount equal to 0.6 percent of gross domestic product as well as to guarantee bank loans taken by pharmacists, the association said late yesterday in a statement on its website.

Eopyy has only made part payment to pharmacists for providing medicines in May and hasn’t paid for any prescription drugs since June, the association said Aug. 8. Eopyy still owes money from 2011 at a time when international drug companies no longer offer credit to Greek pharmacists, the association said at the time. It didn’t give a figure for the total debt.

To contact the reporter on this story: Paul Tugwell in Athens at ptugwell1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jerrold Colten at jcolten@bloomberg.net