The crisis of pharmacists and the one of drivers and owners of heavy trucks escalated. At a meeting attended by Health Minister Hatem el-Gabaly and the Head of the Doctors Association Hamdy el-Sayyed, Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif challenged pharmacists, saying that the government would not backtrack on its decision to force them to have books and registers proving their real gains over the past three years so that they may be taxed. Thousands of pharmacists are going to start a total sit-in and to close their shops today, thus implementing the decision of the emergency general assembly held by their syndicate last Friday. The syndicate is gong to hold another emergency general assembly today. The sub-committees formed by the general assembly will manage the closing of the pharmacies to provide medicines to chronically-ill people and to face emergency cases. The modality of the closing will differ according to the governorate. Pharmacies in Beni Suef will be completely closed, while one will be left open in every quarter in Damietta, Port Said, Kafr Sheikh, Qalyubia and Gharbia to face emergencies. Finally, pharmacies are going to be closed until 2 p.m in Alexandria and Dakahlia. Al-Masry Al-Youm has learnt that PM Nazif asked the Health Minister and the Head of the Doctors Association to inform the pharmacists and the head of their syndicate that the government, represented by the Ministry of Finance, would not backtrack on its decision concerning the ongoing crisis with the Tax Authority. He said so during yesterday's meeting, which was held to discuss the final draft of the organ transplant law before it is approved by the People's Assembly during the current session. With regard to the strike of drivers and owners of heavy trucks, which has entered its fourth day, a meeting was held by Cairo Chamber of Commerce between representatives of the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Trade on the one hand and representatives of vehicle companies and owners on the other. The meeting, though, failed to reach compromises, while the third day of the strike was marked by exciting incidents. 11 drivers were eventually arrested in Gharbia on charges of destroying vehicles that had not gone on strike. Meanwhile, 90% of the transportation of sugar and fertilizers came to a halt due to the strike, according to a report distributed yesterday by the Heavy Trucks Association. Meanwhile, the products of the Samad Talkha factory piled up in warehouses, while the transportation of building materials was paralyzed, Damietta port congested with goods and containers, and cement disappeared from Aswan. Transport also came to a halt on Qantara's higher bridge, el-Fardan el-Hadidi and along the Suez Canal. 1,000 drivers from Sharkia said that the strike would continue for three days and that on Wednesday they would hold a sit-in in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of Interior in Cairo. The strike also took place in the governorates of Fayoum, Menya and Qena.
