The Ministry of Health in UAE told pharmacies to stop the practice of offering five to 10 percent discounts on medicines.
"The ban on discount will apply on over-the-counter medicines where the Ministry of Health has set prices. There was always a rule to not offer discounts, however, it was not one that was highly monitored. Hence, there was the practice of offering discounts," a top official at a leading hospital network told Gulf News.
Violating the rule comes with stiff fines.
According to the report's sources, the authorities did not want to see a rash of competitive discounts being offered by pharmacies to pump sales, especially in such a vital category.
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