With the Order and the unions, pharmacists are launching information campaigns among the general public to denounce the desire of the Leclerc group to sell non-reimbursed drugs.
“The pharmacist is much more than a diploma in a white coat”. With these words, the tone of the campaign of the Union of Unions of Community Pharmacists (Uspo) is set. One of the main pharmaceutical unions, the Uspo is launching a campaign on March 12 that sounds like a risposte at the recent request of E.Leclerc. Indeed, the large distribution group now wants to attack the monopoly of pharmacies on the sale of non-reimbursed drugs. He made it known with a major media plan and a television advertising campaign.
The profession took a few days to react. The objective of this large-scale counter-offensive, explains the president of the Inspo, Gilles Bonnefond, is to save the French-style pharmacy, “a model to be preserved in this difficult period that drugs are currently experiencing”.
This campaign will take the form of posters sent to all pharmacists, the aim of which will be to remind people of the pharmacist’s position and true role. A campaign that will also be accompanied by a petition available in pharmacies and intended for citizens. The latter will ask the population to support this strategy and the local pharmacy “always available and attentive to the patient”. Gilles Bonnefond wishes to raise awareness of public opinion, but also of the government. Because, for him, the French pharmacy is clearly threatened, with the key to possible closings of pharmacies in strategic places.
Listen to Gilles Bonnefond, pharmacist and president of the USPO: “ What we want is for public opinion to realize that the pharmacy, which is now natural in the decor, is in danger. “.
According to the Uspo, the logic of the two actors is totally different. For the president of the union, E.Leclerc “has nothing to do with the drug”.
Listen to Gilles Bonnefond: ” Leclerc, today what he wants is to push for consumption. We are on good use and security, which has nothing to do with the strategies of large-scale distribution “
The union tirelessly reminds us that being a pharmacist is more than a diploma. For him, those working at E.Leclerc, can be considered even as “having given up the profession of pharmacist”.
Listen to Gilles Bonnefond: “ When we sell drugs, we sell them in a very specific framework which is a pharmcie with rules … we are not in a supermarket … “
This initiative of the Uspo must be followed by others. The National Order of Pharmacists is implementing a large-scale information operation in the 23,000 French pharmacies. Its signature is “Keep our feet on the ground”. It will allow pharmacists to engage in dialogue with patients in order to explain to them that “being a doctor of pharmacy is not enough to dispense drugs”.
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