Between 75% and 90% of pharmacies are closed this Thursday, May 30, due to a strike by the profession. Some pharmacies have been requisitioned to meet the urgent needs of the population.
- Pharmacies are on strike this Thursday, May 30, to denounce the shortage of medicines, their financial difficulties and the numerous closures.
- Between 75% and 90% of pharmacies in France are closed, according to unions.
- Pharmacies have been requisitioned to meet urgent needs.
The Federation of Pharmacists (FSPF) and the Union of Pharmacists’ Unions (USPO) have filed a strike notice for this Thursday, May 30, 2024. Between 75% and 90% of pharmacies will be closed, according to the two organizations.
Pharmacy on call: how do you know where to go?
This mobilization, supported by the Order of Pharmacists, is one of the most followed in 10 years. Faced with this strong mobilization of the profession, “the night guard system has been extended to the day of May 30, 2024”That is to say, certain pharmacies have been requisitioned by the prefectures to ensure the urgent distribution of medicines and health products to the population.
To find out which pharmacies are open near you, you must go to the website of the Regional Health Agency (ARS) of your department. The list of requisitioned and therefore open pharmacies is available there. The document specifies the address and telephone number of the establishments.
It is also possible to obtain this information by dialing the dedicated number for on-call pharmacies 3237 (35 cents per minute) or by going to www.3237.fr.
Furthermore, in case of emergency or doubt about the seriousness of the situation, it is recommended to call 15 to be directed and taken care of if necessary.
Drug shortages, closures…: a strike against the gloomy outlook for pharmacies
Between 15,000 and 18,000 pharmacies will keep their doors closed this Thursday. Pharmacists are demanding, among other things, the implementation of a plan to combat drug shortages. “Drug shortages complicate patient care and make the daily management of our practice more difficult”the FSPF said in a press release. “Persistent drug shortages pose a serious threat to public health. The government urgently needs to act to strengthen data transparency and force laboratories to ensure adequate supplies.”adds the USPO.
While the profession has begun negotiations with Health Insurance, the unions are also demanding a fairer revaluation of their fees. “We have been hit hard by inflation, like many others, but it has been even more present in our pharmacies because of the salaries that we pay our employees, which are much higher than normal, which means that there are cascading closures.”explains Pierre-Olivier Variot, president of the USPO union, Franceinfo.
Around thirty rallies are planned across France. In addition to the shortage of medicines and remuneration, pharmacists will march to warn against the possible sale of prescription drugs online as well as the increasing number of closures.
The honorary president of the National Academy of Pharmacy and dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy of Paris Jean-Louis Beaudeux specifies at the microphone of Franceinfo : “There were 270 pharmacies that were closing in 2022, 350 in 2023 and on the projection for January 2024, we would be at 440”. A situation fueled by “a problem of attractiveness and pharmaceutical demography”according to him.
