UEA in Norwich still battling to get pharmacy on campus

After a year without easy access to medicine, hopes that an on-site pharmacy would return in September have been dashed.

Boots closed its pharmacy at the UEA medical centre, close to Bluebell Road, in July last year leaving 17,000 students in the lurch.

The Boots pharmacy at the University Medical Centre closed last July (Image: Google)

Nathan Wyatt, the welfare, community and diversity officer at the UEA Students' Union, launched the campaign and believed a breakthrough had been secured recently.

"We couldn't believe it when we were granted permission by Primary Care Support England (PCSE) at the first attempt," said Nathan.

"Usually applications have to be submitted and resubmitted a silly number of times, so it really highlighted the strength of our campaign and the need for a pharmacy in our area."

Nathan Wyatt is the Welfare, Community and Diversity Officer at the UEA (Image: Nathan Wyatt)

Clive Lewis, Labour MP for Norwich South, supported the UEA's application and called for the facility to be reinstated.

Now, however, Nathan is at the end of his tether.

"Allied Pharmacies, a national pharmaceutical company, is currently blocking the application," Nathan said.

Nathan put up posters around campus showing students where the nearest pharmacies are (Image: Nathan Wyatt)

"They have appealed the application on the grounds that it might affect their pharmacy in Earlham West, which is at least a 20-minute walk from campus.

"They say it will hurt their profits, but students shouldn't lose out on important medical services just because a corporation thinks it will make less money."

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Nathan hoped the independent pharmacy would open for the start of the next academic year but the appeal means waiting until the pharmacy's complaint is considered by PCSE.

Nathan launched the 'pharmageddon' campaign on campus (Image: Nathan Wyatt)

"It's been very frustrating," he added. "The students deserve better - they should be able to get medicine on campus.

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"We've heard shocking stories from the Disability Peer Support Group about some students who are going without their medication because they can't get to the nearest pharmacy.

"We need this sorted now."

Efforts from this paper to contact Allied Pharmacies were unsuccessful.