WHAT a ludicrous situation.

The pharmacy counter at the Boots store in the Middlebrook retail park has not been granted a licence to dispense prescriptions because Bolton Pharmaceutical Committee has ruled that there is already "adequate provision" in the area and it is not "necessary or desirable" to grant another NHS licence.

Try telling that to the frustrated customers who want to collect their prescriptions from the store.

The Bolton Pharmaceutical Committee should change their decision. Surely the more outlets there are for people to collect prescriptions, the better for all concerned.

The Chairman of Bolton Pharmaceutical Committee David Bethal has said that the committee has not received any complaints about the situation.

Well here's the first. We urge anyone who is concerned to contact the Bolton Pharmaceutical Committee via the Wigan and Bolton Health Authority, Bryan House, 61 Standishgate, Wigan WN1 1AH.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.