Pharmacists in Spain are growing increasingly frustrated with the industry’s lack of progress and feeling trapped in the current status quo, leading some of them to consider a rare move: going on strike.
The frustration of Spanish pharmacists has grown in recent years as the industry has been grappling with a number of issues. Some of the most prominent of these include declining financial reimbursement rates, rising costs of running a retail pharmacy, and inadequate patient access to essential medicines.
Total costs for running a retail pharmacy have increased due to the policies of Spanish health authorities and the cost of the new digital systems needed to conceptualize and issue prescriptions. These changes have resulted in pharmacists not being able to stay viable and competitive with other players in the Spanish pharmaceutical market, resulting in lower financial reimbursement rates.
In addition, patient access to essential medicines is increasingly being hampered by cost and availability barriers, as well as the limitation of pharmacists to source out these medications for their patients. Per Walter Sanchez, President of the Spanish National Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industries, the current system offers ‘an image of extreme fragility.’
The Spanish National Chamber of Pharmacists has called on the Government of Spain to make reforms that address the concerns of the pharmacists and to actively work together to develop initiatives that support the pharmacy industry to become more competitive.
While discussions are ongoing, pharmacists are growing increasingly desperate and are now considering the highly unusual step of going on strike. This has grown from their feeling of being subject to a deadlocked industry and a lack of change and solutions to the financial and operational pressures being faced.
At the same time, there is also a movement among Spanish pharmacists to remain open in spite of the difficulties, and provide the best quality of service to their patients. This has provided a more optimistic view that the industry can recover and come out on top as long as it actively works together to develop the necessary initiatives to improve conditions.
Whatever the outcome, the dispute between the Spanish pharmacists and the government is a reminder of the growing tensions in an industry that badly needs economic and operational solutions to remain viable in the future.
Pharmacists in Spain are growing increasingly frustrated with the industry’s lack of progress and feeling trapped in the current status quo, leading some of them to consider a rare move: going on strike.
The frustration of Spanish pharmacists has grown in recent years as the industry has been grappling with a number of issues. Some of the most prominent of these include declining financial reimbursement rates, rising costs of running a retail pharmacy, and inadequate patient access to essential medicines.
Total costs for running a retail pharmacy have increased due to the policies of Spanish health authorities and the cost of the new digital systems needed to conceptualize and issue prescriptions. These changes have resulted in pharmacists not being able to stay viable and competitive with other players in the Spanish pharmaceutical market, resulting in lower financial reimbursement rates.
In addition, patient access to essential medicines is increasingly being hampered by cost and availability barriers, as well as the limitation of pharmacists to source out these medications for their patients. Per Walter Sanchez, President of the Spanish National Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industries, the current system offers ‘an image of extreme fragility.’
The Spanish National Chamber of Pharmacists has called on the Government of Spain to make reforms that address the concerns of the pharmacists and to actively work together to develop initiatives that support the pharmacy industry to become more competitive.
While discussions are ongoing, pharmacists are growing increasingly desperate and are now considering the highly unusual step of going on strike. This has grown from their feeling of being subject to a deadlocked industry and a lack of change and solutions to the financial and operational pressures being faced.
At the same time, there is also a movement among Spanish pharmacists to remain open in spite of the difficulties, and provide the best quality of service to their patients. This has provided a more optimistic view that the industry can recover and come out on top as long as it actively works together to develop the necessary initiatives to improve conditions.
Whatever the outcome, the dispute between the Spanish pharmacists and the government is a reminder of the growing tensions in an industry that badly needs economic and operational solutions to remain viable in the future.
