Amid the ongoing Jhoots Pharmacy financial mismanagement scandal, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the government is looking to resolve the situation "as quickly as possible".
While responding to a question posed by West Dorset MP Edward Morello during the Prime Minster's Question time, Starmer expressed concern over salary delay for the staff.
Morello asked the prime minister for emergency legislation to prevent future scandals and give the government the power to pay unpaid staff in the health care sector.
The Liberal Democrats MP said, "Jhoots Pharmacies have been responsible for repeated closures, leaving staff unpaid and residents without access to vital medicine."
He said that "unfit pharmacy owners like Sarbjit Jhooty" should not be running our care system.
There have been reports of Jhoots employees remaining unpaid for long periods and they are struggling to pay bills and buy food.
In some areas, the closure of Jhoots outlet is causing a lot of distress to patients, who have to travel long distances to procure their essential medicines.
In response, Starmer termed it a 'serious issue'. "It is simply not right that customers and staff have been so badly let down."
"The care minister has convened representatives from across the industry to resolve this situation as quickly as possible and want to reassure him we are working speedily to consider how to strengthen regulation of these pharmacies and I'll update the house as soon as I can."
Morello had previously called for an investigation into the demise of Jhoots Pharmacies following the closures of sites across the country.
Last week, Allied Pharmacies announced that it was taking over 60 Jhoots Pharmacy sites and it will take steps to address outstanding salary arrears and reopen closed pharmacies.
This may come as a relief for some employees and patients, but the fate of some closed Jhoots outlets, which have not been taken over by Allied Pharmacies, remains uncertain.
Though the brand name Jhoots is used by Sarbjit Jhooty and Manjit Jhooty, the financial mismanagement only relates to the pharmacies under the ownership of Sarbjit.
