The pharmacies association last week threatened to tell its members not to open outside of regular working hours – night and public holidays – from next month, if the issue of opening hours is not resolved. The association is complaining because the opening hours decreed by the health ministry are being ignored by some pharmacies, which have appealed against the decree and secured an interim order, that allows them to do as they please until the court issues its ruling.

Pharmacists have lost patience because, after two years, the court has still not issued a decision, and the rogue pharmacies are staying open longer hours. Regulation of opening hours by the state date back to the seventies when the idea of serving consumers had not reached our shores and suppliers/service providers dictated their terms. So, barbers/hairdressers are closed all day Thursday – because salons open all day Saturday – all doctors close their medical practice on Thursday afternoon and retail shops, in theory, close on Wednesday afternoon.

Although this is a clear case of collusion by suppliers it was always considered normal practice as, supposedly, it prevented barbers who were prepared to work on Thursday from securing an advantage over their competitors. Another argument, used for Wednesday afternoon shop closing, was that shop assistants needed time off because they worked a half-day on Saturday.

A similar regime exists for petrol stations, although with the automated payment systems people can fill up their car 24/7. In August, half the stations closed for the first fortnight of the month and the rest for the second. Once a few stations decided to ignore the August break, the system was abandoned, and each station owner decides whether to close for a holiday or not.

All this regulation should have ended ever since the Anastasiades government decided to allow supermarkets to stay open on Sundays, but the association of pharmacies, like that of hairdressers, insist on regulated opening hours, which may be in the interest of the owners, but it does not serve consumers. In fact it could be argued that regulating the opening times of pharmacies is a restriction of liberty on businesses that also penalises the consumers. By what logic can the state stop a pharmacist who wants to stay open longer hours than his competitors?

A couple of days ago, a representative of the patients’ rights group Osak was on the radio demanding that pharmacies did not close for lunch break (also part of the regulation), because this was when many people had the time to pick up their medicine. It made perfect sense, considering many people (not employed in the public sector) are at work during pharmacy opening times and can only use their lunch break to visit the chemist. These people are served by the pharmacies that ignore the state-mandated opening times, but for the association of pharmacies, the welfare of its members is above the convenience of people.

Health ministry officials had a meeting with the association of pharmacies on Wednesday and gave proposals about opening hours, although it is unclear what these were. The association will respond next week – whether they will accept these or go ahead with their threat not to open at night. What a pity that the ministry is pandering to the pharmacies instead of opening up the market and doing away with the regulated opening hours once and for all.