WILLEMSTAD – The Curaçao Health Inspectorate (Inspectie voor de Volksgezondheid, IVG) has issued a formal directive requiring pharmacists and pharmacy owners to keep their establishments open during the operating hours established by law. The measure comes amid ongoing tensions in the pharmaceutical sector over working conditions and compensation.
According to the Inspectorate, pharmacies are legally required to remain accessible to the public during their designated opening hours. Failure to comply with the directive could result in financial penalties through an administrative enforcement measure known as a last onder dwangsom.
Under the applicable regulations, public pharmacies must operate from 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.
Outside these regular hours, including nighttime, Sundays, and public holidays, two designated pharmacies must provide emergency services. One must be located on each side of Sint Anna Bay to ensure that residents throughout Willemstad have access to essential medication.
The Inspectorate's intervention follows recent industrial action by pharmacists who have expressed dissatisfaction over their dispensing fees, which they say have remained unchanged for approximately 25 years.
The pharmacists have been demanding adjustments to their compensation arrangements, arguing that the existing system no longer adequately reflects the rising costs associated with operating a pharmacy.
Their actions have raised concerns about the availability of prescription medication and the potential consequences for patients who depend on uninterrupted pharmaceutical services.
With its latest directive, the Health Inspectorate is emphasizing that pharmacies must comply with their legal obligations to the public, regardless of ongoing disagreements within the sector.
A last onder dwangsom is an administrative enforcement instrument that can impose financial penalties when an individual or business fails to comply with a legally binding order. Its purpose is to compel compliance rather than immediately impose a punitive fine.
The Inspectorate has not specified the amount of any potential financial penalty or whether individual pharmacies have already been subjected to enforcement measures.
The directive places additional pressure on pharmacy operators as discussions surrounding dispensing fees and the financial sustainability of the sector continue.
For patients, the measure is intended to safeguard access to essential pharmaceutical services and prevent disruptions in the availability of medication.
The Health Inspectorate has made its position clear: pharmacies must remain open during the hours prescribed by law, and failure to comply may result in administrative enforcement action.