The domestic insurer Coralisle Group Ltd has opened a pharmacy to the general public.

CG Pharmacy is located at Paget Plaza in the former Clarien bank building at 161 South Road in Devonshire.

“Our goal in this initiative is to make prescription drugs accessible and affordable to our CG members and the general public, including those impacted the most such as seniors, the under-insured and uninsured,” Naz Farrow, CG’s chief executive, said.

“High and rising drug prices pressure a lot of people financially, even to the point that some skip medications they need to manage their condition. We want to change that reality, to ease the cost pressures and, in the process, help to bring about better health outcomes across the island.

“We believe this initiative will foster across-the-board benefits. For people on FutureCare, for example, it can stretch their purchasing dollars, helping them to get more for less. For us at CG, it will help us manage affordable medical costs for our members.”

CG’s move into the pharmacy arena is the latest in a pattern that has seen providers in different segments of health care diversify their services.

For example, medical practices such as Island Health Services and Point Finger Road Medical Centre have offered pharmacies on their premises for some years, although these are operated by Island Health Pharmacy Ltd and Bermuda Pharmacy Group Ltd respectively.

CG’s competitor Argus bought Island Health Services and the Family Practice Group in 2020, but does not own the pharmacies located on their premises.

CG Pharmacy said it looks forward to working directly with local organisations, including charities and non-profits, assisting in their efforts to improve medication access and support preventive care in the community.

A CG spokesman said: “By offering these organisations affordably priced medications, we can expand their purchasing power, helping them to reach more people.

“These efforts can support greater access to prescriptions and, critically, to maintain medication adherence, which is essential to achieve better health.

“Ultimately, better health outcomes will lead to reduced disease progression, fewer hospitalisations and an overall reduction in healthcare expenditure.”

In addition to prescription medicines, CG Pharmacy, which can be found at www.cgpharmacy.bm, said it will carry over-the-counter products such as pain relievers, vitamins, cough and cold medicines, first aid products and more, as well as offer island-wide delivery for prescriptions, free monthly blister-packing, free medication reviews (including home visits), a private consultation room, and full-service medication provider for nursing homes and rest homes.

Ms Farrow added: “CG prides itself on being a people-first company. We do all we can to serve the interest of our members, recognising that we are part of a larger community whose wellbeing plays a vital role in the quality of life we all share.

“Our pharmacy initiative reflects that understanding and operates with the goal of achieving positive outcomes for both our members and the community at large.”

This article was amended on February 28 to clarify that Island Health Services and Point Finger Road Medical Centre do not own the pharmacies located on their premises, and that when Argus bought Island Health Services and the Family Practice Group, it did not buy the pharmacies on their premises.