According to a study carried out by IPSOS, at the request of Kruidvat, seven out of ten Belgians find non-prescription medicines too expensive.
Another figure also challenges in the IPSOS report, eighty percent of Belgians find it unacceptable to pay over-the-counter medicines such as paracetamol at least five times more expensive than our neighbors in the Netherlands.
A thousand Belgians were surveyed by the famous IPSOS agency to determine whether the drugs available without a doctor’s prescription could not be sold elsewhere than in pharmacies. The study provides another indicator linked to the crisis. “A third of respondents have postponed the purchase of drugs in the past six months due to a lack of financial means,” the statement read.
The difference with our Dutch neighbors is quite strong. A comparison which makes say half of the people questioned wish that the medicines delivered without prescription in Belgium are not only available in pharmacies. This is for example the case for a drug well known to all, paracetamol.
For Kruidvat, one of the drugstore chains that offers non-prescription drugs in the Netherlands, it would be interesting if Belgium also took advantage of this. The retailer is booming and has 293 stores spread across Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels. “Prices would drop significantly if we could do that in Belgium too. Our study shows that 80% of Belgians want the authorities to intervene to counter high prices. We see this as an opportunity for the Belgian government. Opening the market, in a responsible way, would make health care in Belgium more affordable and accessible. This is more important than ever in times of inflation.”