Downtown Eastside patients fear pharmacy's looming closure

A Downtown Eastside pharmacy's Vancouver customers say they are afraid of what will happen when it is excluded from the province's PharmaCare program on December 5 — a move that would force it out of business.

Eastside Pharmacy is one of more than two dozen pharmacies the provincial government has barred from PharmaCare re-enrolment due to alleged violations that include suspicious billing practices.

But many of Eastside Pharmacy's customers say they worry who will take owner Alex Tam's place if he is forced to stop. Tam hand-delivers medication to his clients every morning — something his clients say is not only a rare act of kindness, but also something of a life-saver.

"Alex is the person that makes sure I'm OK everyday. He's here every day. Nobody else would see me. He's my friend, he's my pharmacist, he's my caregiver, he's my lifeline," said Rebecca Clark, who receives HIV medication and methadone from Tam.

In an emailed statement to CBC, a spokesperson for B.C.'s Ministry of Health said:

"The ministry is also working with Vancouver Coastal Health regarding transition for PharmaCare clients of this particular pharmacy to make sure they receive patient-centred care throughout the change.

All of the affected pharmacies are located in areas with several other pharmacy options for patients nearby."

PharmaCare pays for drugs for people on low incomes or with special medical needs, which accounts for 70 per cent of Eastside Pharmacy's business, according to Tam.

Hand-delivering medicine

Tam says some of his patients are disabled or have mental health issues that prevent them from visiting the pharmacy every day. He not only delivers the medicine, but stays to ensure the client takes it as well.

That's crucial for Clark, who says if Tam wasn't working as a pharmacist in her neighbourhood, she wouldn't be taking her daily medication every day.

"Alex makes it possible for [the medication] to work for me because if I was by myself, I would miss. I wouldn't make it every day to the pharmacy."

Another client, Frank Burke, says Tam saved him from having to amputate his leg a couple of weeks ago. Burke says he stepped on a nail and did not realize his situation was dire until Tam noticed his leg was infected during a morning delivery.

Burke rushed to the hospital. Doctors told him just how lucky he had been.

"The doctor said, lucky you came in Mr. Burke. You wouldn't have a leg tomorrow — we'd be cutting it off."

A desperate plea

Despite the early mornings and complicated cases Tam deals with on a regular basis, he says working in the Downtown Eastside is a privilege.

"I feel very honoured and privileged to be part of them, to be providing services to any people in Downtown Eastside, which has been forgotten by many many people."

He blames the audit findings of his records from 2012 to 2014 on the fact he was short-staffed during those years.

"I'm not a businessman, I'm basically a people person," he said.

Tam hopes the B.C. government will recognize the value of his community work in the Downtown Eastside and reverse its decision to take his Pharmacare licence away.

He's inviting someone from the Health Ministry to spend a day with him.

"Spend a day with me, and see what I do. Don't have to pat me on the back. Just let me continue to serve the people in the Downtown Eastside."

To listen to the full audio, click the link labelled: Eastside Pharmacy closure could hurt patients.