COOPERATIVE OWNED COMMUNITY PHARMACIES

COOPERATIVE OWNED COMMUNITY PHARMACIES

Can a small cooperative-owned community pharmacy compete with a giant drugstore chain? My answer is a resounding yes—and not just as a matter of optimism, but of economic logic and social vision.

For one, cooperatives already have a built-in customer base: their members. That’s an advantage no big corporation can simply buy. A cooperative pharmacy starts with trust—an asset that’s priceless in a sector where people’s health and lives are on the line. Members already have a reason to support their own cooperative, and in return, the cooperative has a duty to provide affordable, safe, and ethical access to medicines.

But here’s another reason: a cooperative can do everything a corporation can do. It can buy, sell, hire, manage, and expand. The only limits are compliance and capital. Yet, if we think collectively, the combined financial strength of over 16,000 registered cooperatives in the Philippines could easily surpass that of the biggest drugstore chain in the country. Imagine if even a fraction of these cooperatives each set up one community pharmacy—what a revolution in health access that would be.

The Legal and Practical Framework

Let’s get the basics right. To operate a cooperative pharmacy in the Philippines, the cooperative must secure a License to Operate (LTO) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), employ a PRC-licensed pharmacist, register with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA), and obtain permits from the Local Government Unit (LGU).

In short, a cooperative pharmacy must play by the same rules as a commercial one—but that’s not a disadvantage. Compliance ensures safety and trust. In fact, cooperative pharmacies already exist in small but inspiring numbers:

  • Sta. Monica of Pangasinan Multi-Purpose Cooperative, which runs a pharmacy for members’ health needs;

  • San Dionisio Credit Cooperative (SDCC) in Parañaque, which integrates pharmacy services with insurance and wellness programs;

  • Tagum Cooperative in Davao del Norte, whose community pharmacy supports both members and residents; and

  • Baguio-Benguet Community Credit Cooperative, which combines pharmacy access with preventive health care.

These examples prove the model works. What’s lacking is scale—and public awareness.

Global Lessons, Local Application

We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Countries like Italy, Spain, Finland, and India have long supported cooperative-owned pharmacies.
 In Italy, municipal and consumer cooperatives operate pharmacies to stabilize medicine prices.
 In Spain, pharmacist cooperatives like Cofares ensure fair pricing and distribution.
 In Finland, community pharmacies are often run by cooperative networks to ensure access even in rural areas.
 And in India, states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu promote cooperative drug stores that sell affordable generics—models that blend community ownership with professional standards.

So why not in the Philippines? Why can’t our cooperatives—especially those already involved in agriculture, transport, and credit—add healthcare and pharmaceuticals to their portfolios? If our cooperatives can sell rice, fertilizers, or fuel, why not medicine?

The Digital Edge

Today’s cooperatives are no longer limited to physical stores. New technologies—blockchain for traceability, artificial intelligence for inventory management, and e-commerce for distribution—can make cooperative pharmacies more efficient and transparent. Blockchain, for instance, can help track medicine sources and prevent counterfeiting. Telepharmacy and mobile pharmacy units can extend services to remote barangays where commercial chains never reach.

There’s also room for innovation in packaging, recycling, and cooperative insurance pooling. Imagine a digital cooperative pharmacy network that links small rural branches to urban suppliers under one secure digital ledger. That would not only lower costs but ensure accountability.

Empowering Pharmacists and Communities

A common question arises: can customers own a pharmacy even if they’re not pharmacists? The answer is yes—through a cooperative model. Ownership lies with members, but licensed pharmacists must still handle the professional and regulatory aspects. This division of roles ensures that business decisions remain democratic while healthcare standards remain professional.

For Filipino pharmacists, this opens new opportunities. Instead of working solely for corporate chains, they can work with their communities—earning fair wages, gaining autonomy, and contributing directly to public health.

A Call to Cooperatives

The beauty of the cooperative model is that it aligns business with public good. A cooperative-owned community pharmacy is not just a store; it’s a statement—that access to medicine should not be a privilege, and that profits should serve people, not the other way around.

If even 10% of our 16,000 cooperatives open pharmacies, we could instantly have over 1,600 community-owned health access points across the country. Add telepharmacy and e-commerce, and no barangay would ever be too far from essential medicines again.

Perhaps what’s new is not the idea itself, but the realization that it’s time to act on it. The infrastructure is there. The people are there. The need is urgent.

As for me, I am ready to help any cooperative willing to take this bold step—because good health should never be monopolized, and community empowerment begins when people take control of their own well-being.

Affordable medicine, ethical access, and community ownership—these are not just dreams. They are possibilities waiting for cooperatives to turn them into reality.

Ramon Ike V. Seneres, www.facebook.com/ike.seneres

iseneres@yahoo.com, senseneres.blogspot.com 04-18-2026

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

HOW IS THE CRIME RATE COMPUTED IN THE PHILIPPINES?

HOW IS THE CRIME RATE COMPUTED IN THE PHILIPPINES? When we talk about the crime rate in the Philippines, we often assume that the figures we see are accurate reflections of reality. But have we ever paused to ask—how exactly is the crime rate computed? Where does this data come from, and how reliable is it? The computation of the crime rate in the Philippines is officially handled by the Philippine National Police (PNP). The formula itself is straightforward: Crime Rate = (Total Reported Crimes / Total Population) x 100,000 This simple equation gives us the number of crimes per 100,000 people, allowing for fair comparison across regions and time periods. However, the reality behind these numbers is more complex than it appears. Data from the Ground The foundation of our national crime rate is empirical data collected at the grassroots level—from individual police stations scattered across the country. Every reported crime is logged in local police blotters, forming the buil...
Read more

GREY AREAS IN GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONS

GREY AREAS IN GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONS Dear Mr. President: May I ask who is going to be the arbiter or referee whenever there are overlaps in functions between two or more government agencies? I imagine that there would be no problem if these agencies would just cooperate and collaborate with each other, but what if they are unable to settle their differences and they would just end up throwing blame at each other or finger pointing at each other? Allow me to cite some examples. Who is supposed to take the lead in waste to energy projects? Is it supposed to be the DENR that is supposed to handle waste? Or is it supposed to be the DOE that is supposed to handle energy generation? Or is it supposed to be the DILG since it is the one that could direct or influence the waste to energy projects of LGUs? Who is supposed to take the lead in producing and promoting the use of biofuels? Is it supposed to be the DA, since the production of biofuels is supposed to be all about planting biofuel ...
Read more

LOCALIZED FREE AMBULANCE SERVICES

LOCALIZED FREE AMBULANCE SERVICES As it is supposed to be, anyone in the Philippines should be able to dial 911, and a telephone operator should be able to dispatch fire, rescue, ambulance and police (FRAP) units as soon as possible, based on acceptable response times. I invented the FRAP acronym for easy recall, and I hope it sticks, if there is no other alternative. Unfortunately, due to a mixture of technical and political reasons, the Philippines has not adopted 911 as a national number, because some LGUs would rather use their own three-digit numbers such as 117 and 168. I actually proposed a technical solution to that problem, but it was not adopted either. For whatever it is worth, my solution is to install a call forwarding system that could route all calls to a central operator, regardless of what number is dialed. It is very sad for me to know that up to now, even if our country is already over one hundred years old, there are still many LGUs that do not have fire trucks. it ...
Read more