Pharmacists raise concerns as ministry enforces prescription rules and policies

The Ministry of Health and Wellness, through its Drug Inspectorate Unit, has begun enforcing stricter compliance measures requiring pharmacies to request a valid prescription before dispensing certain medications. The move has generated concern among several pharmacists, some of whom have contacted the newsroom at Love FM, saying the enforcement could negatively affect their businesses.  According to those pharmacists, some of the restrictions appear inconsistent and could impact sales. One example cited is that pharmacies are allowed to sell 400 milligram tablets of ibuprofen over the counter, but 800 milligram tablets require a prescription, despite the medication being essentially the same drug in a higher dosage.  However, Senior Drug Inspectorate Officer Samira Gongora says the Ministry is not introducing new rules but is simply enforcing regulations that have been in place for years under Belize’s pharmaceutical laws. She explained that the renewed enforcement follows months of consultations with key stakeholders, including the Belize Medical and Dental Association, the nursing associations, and other partners in the healthcare sector.  Gongora also noted that some medications which were previously classified as prescription-only have been moved to the over-the-counter category, making them easier for the public to access; an example being Viro grip tablets.

Samira Gongora, Senior Drug Inspectorate: “We did not update anything. Those are legislation that have been in place from time immemorial and we did not change if it is a prescription item. The condition of legal sale is prescription that remains. Drugs that are for mainly the NCDs, which is the non-communicable disease. So if you’re a hypertensive or a diabetic, Losartan 50, 100 milligrams needs a prescription. Captopril 25, 50 need a prescription. If you’re diabetic metformin, 500, 850 requires a prescription. Di-clofenac 100 milligrams requires a prescription. As you stated, Ambroxol requires a prescription. Those are the legal sale, condition of sale of those medications. And it’s to the benefit of the patient because if it is that you are experiencing a symptom of pain for one week, two weeks, two months, it is a symptom of an underlying condition. And so we’re saying, get the assessment that you need, get the diagnostic test that you need, access care from a doctor so that all of us, you, the doctor, your pharmacist can know exactly what is happening in your body and so they can rationally prescribe to you the right or rationally dispense to you the right medication at the right time so that you could get the correct desired therapeutic result and you can be well.”

Reporter: So how would you counter that argument by Belizeans who will say well they don’t have money to go pay for a consultation or consult ?  the way I said?

Samira Gongora, Senior Drug Inspectorate: “Well, you have the government facility that offers consultation for free and we the government of Belize is about to roll out NHI to the entire country that has medication for free and you have your diagnostic tests at a low co-payment cost and so you could always access the government service to ensure that you get your care, the highest possible care for the least possible price and sometimes for free.”

Gongora explained that pharmacies across the country were formally notified of the upcoming enforcement measures through a letter issued in December 2025, advising them of the upcoming enforcement and the need to comply with existing regulations.  The Drug Inspectorate Unit will now be carrying out compliance monitoring to ensure pharmacies are following the proper procedures when dispensing medications that require prescriptions.

Samira Gongora, Senior Drug Inspectorate: “The inspectors are out there. We target all the, if we get a report through the drug alert email that we have the public health inspectors along with the drug inspectors check in each district to see if it is that Chinese grocers have anything more than is on the OTC list, the general OTC list, and we retrieve it and we remove it. We have audits every six months, which is routine, a routine audit for each pharmacy and each pharmaceutical wholesale establishment. And we also have every year and that is every year is the licensing audit. So if it is that you are compliant with every section on the tool that we measure your good compliance with, you are up for a renewal of your license. If it is that you have inconsistencies, especially the ones that have legal obligation like selling antibiotics without a prescription, selling controlled drugs without a prescription, selling prescription drugs without a prescription, and it’s consistent inconsistency in terms of several inspections done and you remain non-compliant with these categories it can affect your licensing, your relicensing for that fiscal year.”

Despite the concerns raised by some pharmacists about possible financial losses, Gongora says the Ministry remains open to further dialogue with industry representatives if clarification is needed.

Samira Gongora, Senior Drug Inspectorate: “We had visited last year and I believe the year before and I believe we will again this year revisit the list. So, and so we did it, we didn’t do it in a vacuum. We asked for feedback from the cadre of other health professionals so that we could get feedback from everybody when we compose the list to make sure that it’s comprehensive. If it is that you are a pharmacist that are operating ethically, these are practices that should have been in place from the beginning. We are the regulatory authority. We’re also the competent authority. And we have not received anything formally in writing from the Pharmacy Association. We are ready and willing to sit and discuss if it is that we receive anything. But we haven’t and so we are always ready to sit and discuss but prescription items have always been prescription items.”

Love News understands that there is currently 127 registered pharmacies across the country.  According to the ministry, the enforcement effort is aimed at protecting public health by ensuring that medications which require medical oversight are dispensed safely and responsibly.