Letter to the editor: Pharmacies failing us

The large retail chain pharmacies in our area are absolutely failing to provide the critical services required by their customers. These services are necessary for the health and welfare of the community they serve and are even matters of life and death for many.

Their hours of operation are irregular at best. They often just close without any notice, and, even when they are open, often inadequate staffing is a real problem. Their employees are obviously stressed, yet they do the best they can under the circumstances.

Scheduling of flu or covid vaccines is a joke. One goes online to schedule these things and then receives notification at the last minute that appointments have been canceled, please reschedule.

The filling of prescriptions, which normally takes a few hours, now often takes days.

This situation is totally unacceptable.

With the critical nature of the services these pharmacies are to provide, they have a moral, ethical, if not legal, obligation to do so in a timely, professional, businesslike manner. They are failing to do so.

Bob Kunko

Murrysville