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Pharmacies: worried about the shortage of medicines, professionals call a strike
Pharmacies: worried about the shortage of medicines, professionals call a strike
(France 2)
Anger is growing among pharmacists. They are particularly concerned about the increasing shortage of medicines.
Every day, the same uncertainty persists for these pharmacists on strike the weekend of May 18 and 19. Will they be able to deliver the requested medications? Sophie Brunet, pharmacist, points to the last box of amoxicillin in her pharmacy. “When there was no shortage, we could have 10 in stock to meet all requests“, she describes. In the pharmacy, injections for diabetic patients are also lacking.
On the other side of the counter, patients are worried. Last year, 4,900 medications were out of stock or close to being out of stock. Pharmacists spend 12 hours a week on average researching medications for their patients, like Frank Debans. Pharmacist in Puycasquier (Gers) for 25 years, he has never experienced such shortages. Added to this are soaring inflation, stagnant margins and a bill that could authorize the sale of medicines over the Internet. A call for a general pharmacy strike on May 30 has been launched.
