By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

PRESIDENT of the Bahamas Pharmaceutical Association (BPA), Dr Marvin Smith, stressed that the newly formed Bahamas Pharmaceutical Union (BPU) will operate separately from the professional body, with the union focused exclusively on collective bargaining.

Dr Smith said the BPA will continue its traditional role of advocacy, education, and professional representation, while the BPU was established as a legal entity to negotiate with government and private stakeholders.

“The aims and mandate of the association are professional representation for the profession,” he said. “The aims and mandates for the union are collective bargaining. There is no overlap.”

He explained that the association’s constitution and tax-exempt status prevent it from bargaining collectively, making the creation of a union the only viable path. “If we had attempted collective bargaining through the association, we would have been breaking our own constitution. That is why we had to form the union,” he said.

The push for collective bargaining dates back more than a decade, but Dr Smith said the introduction of National Health Insurance (NHI) made the need more urgent. Partnering with government to dispense medicines and monitor patients created new costs for pharmacies, he said, requiring an organised structure to ensure fair terms.

“The owners are in business. They have salaries to pay, vehicles to maintain, insurance and other costs,” he said. “It makes no sense for government to ask for services that would put us out of business, and it makes no sense for us to demand terms government cannot pay. The union is about finding that balance.”

The BPU launched with 17 registered entities, surpassing the threshold set by the Industrial Relations Act. Its constitution, officers, and membership list have been filed with the Department of Labour. Only registered entities have voting rights, though staff of those businesses automatically become members. Public sector pharmacies are excluded, but pharmacists and technicians may still join to voice concerns.

Dr Smith emphasised the union’s approach will be collaborative rather than confrontational. “People think union means strike, but striking is always a last resort,” he said. “We are professionals. Our approach will be dialogue and partnership.”

He said the BPA will remain the profession’s legislative voice, pointing to its successful lobbying on the draft Medical Cannabis Bill as evidence. “It would be unthinkable for any government to bring legislation on pharmaceuticals to Parliament without talking to us,” he said. “The association remains the body to advise on professional issues. The union comes in when there is a need to bargain.”

Dr Smith highlighted the rapid growth of pharmacy in The Bahamas, noting the number of pharmacies had nearly doubled in recent years, with distribution companies also expanding. A new local pharmacy degree programme is also being launched, which he called proof the profession is “maturing and moving to the next level.”

“This is the natural progression of pharmacy,” he said. “Doctors have associations and unions. Nurses have associations and unions. Now pharmacists do too.”

Speaking from the Caribbean Association of Pharmacists conference in Dominica, he said the new union had become a major regional talking point. “Every country is coming up to us and asking us, how did you all do this? It set the Caribbean pharmacists on fire, because many of them have been trying for years and could not get it done.”

Dr Smith stressed his motivation was professional sustainability rather than personal gain. “I do not own a pharmacy, I have no shares in one, and there is no money in this union,” he said. “Our dues are five dollars per entity to cover filings. Everything else is shared by members. My only role is to advocate.”

He said the ultimate goal is to keep pharmacies stable for the long term. “This is about securing something that can be passed down to children and grandchildren,” he said. “It is about keeping pharmacies open and accessible so Bahamians do not suffer for lack of medicine. That is what both the association and the union, in their separate roles, are here to do.”