Residents say it is “total rubbish” that their town is well served by pharmacies, after the closure of their only local branch left 40,000 people without easy access.
Jhoots, based in Rainham Shopping Precinct in Kent, shut in August following months of disruption. Locals say the empty unit now blocks new providers from opening.
Vivian Wheeler, 80, said: “We had three pharmacies here, and now we haven’t got any. There’s so many older people here. How do they ever get their prescriptions? It’s dreadful.”
NHS Kent and Medway said it was following national regulations and guidance, and pointed to six alternative pharmacies within a 2-mile (3.2km) radius.