Pharmacy closures are denying patients rapid access to treatments including antibiotics, emergency contraception and methadone, a trade union has warned.
The Pharmacists Defence Union has accused Boots of "unilaterally closing pharmacies all over the country".
The company has blamed Covid absences for the closures but the union says it is "trying to construct a false narrative" that there is a shortage of pharmacists and locums to cover shifts.
It says smaller, independent pharmacies have "been able to remain open".
Boots is said to have shut ten pharmacies in Greater Glasgow over one weekend in March.
According to a company source, Boots managers were told that the company couldn't afford the "ludicrous hourly rates that locums are asking for".
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The PDA says the situation has led to staff being reluctant to work in pharmacies without adequate cover.
A survey of pharmacists working for major chains including Lloyds and Boots found that 99% had experienced unsafe staffing levels, 89% said they did not get all the rest breaks they needed and 85% felt physically unsafe while at work at least some of the time.
In one incident an Edinburgh worker is said to have been forced to call for police assistance at a pharmacy owned by Lloyds.
A source said: "A member of staff had arrived at the pharmacy, entered and prepared for the day, to be then informed there would be no pharmacist.
"This is a pharmacy with a large clientele on opioid replacement therapies, daily methadone primarily, and a crowd soon built up, banging on the windows, rattling the door and generally being aggressive.
"It got to the point where the member of staff was so scared that she lowered the shop shutters to protect herself, that of course inflamed the situation and in the end she had to call the police so she could be safely escorted of the premises.
"That is totally unacceptable, no working person should be ever be exposed like that by their management."
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The PDA obtained data showing the number of Boots pharmacies which have been operating at reduced hours or closing altogether.
Musselburgh high street branch, said to one of the country's busiest, was closed for an afternoon last week. Shops in Airdrie, Coatbridge, Glasgow Fort and Castle Douglas have also been affected.
The PDA says the company has stopped sending emails to locums listing the shops that require cover.
A spokesman for the PDA said: "Pharmacy businesses that choose not to open their branches are undermining the millions of patients that need to access treatment, whether that is for the morning after pill, to treat a minor ailment like an eye infection, or to access a more specialised treatment like those for shingles or impetigo when early treatment is of utmost importance.
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"The PDA fear it is only a matter of time before one of these avoidable closures results in serious patient harm.
"The patient can theoretically go elsewhere, but not all patients have the transport or mobility to do so, not all carers have the time to do so, and as a result people needing vital medicines may go without, with the associated risks to their health.
"Some large pharmacy chains appear not to be making sufficient effort to arrange pharmacist cover and are instead choosing not to open their pharmacies for all, or part, of a day.
"While independent pharmacies seem to manage to always open, it is representatives of the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA), of whom Boots is a leading member, that are responsible for almost all closures in Scotland.
"Pharmacy teams have been worked to exhaustion through the covid epidemic, and it’s no wonder those who have created such poor working conditions may struggle to recruit permanent staff.
"The pharmacy profession includes a vibrant locum community and though there may be employed pharmacist vacancies, the option to engage a locum provides an alternative way to ensure there is a responsible pharmacist in every branch, when needed.
A spokeswoman for Boots said: "“Like other businesses, we are seeing high rates of Covid-related team member absence.
"In a small number of cases, we have had to take the difficult decision to temporarily close a store or pause pharmacy provision due to team member shortages or lack of pharmacist availability.
"On 19th March 2022, four stores were closed in the Greater Glasgow area for part of the day. They were open again as normal the following trading day.
“Our teams are working very hard to keep stores open, minimise disruption for customers and provide the best possible service.
"We apologise to customers who have been affected and thank them for bearing with us and being kind to our team members at this time.”
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