A new bill requiring chain pharmacies in the city to provide translation help along with their pills isn’t going down too well with some critics.

The City Council bill calls for pharmacists to speak any foreign language spoken by 1% or more of the people in any community district.

A Department of Consumer Affairs’ representative testified the bill would impose “an especially cumbersome and expensive set of obligations” on both businesses and the department.

Councilman James Oddo (R-Staten Island) said the bill is too onerous.

“What’s next? Should we require restaurant owners to provide menus in dozens of languages?” he grumbled.

Backers of the bill, proposed by Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, said Monday that many patients with limited English proficiency are at risk when they take medications without understanding the directions or caution guidelines.

Source: NY Daily News