“We don’t want to take away what the Government intends to give to pharmacies but the rules must be respected. On September 27th there will be a large demonstration in Rome to state that it is not possible to say that pharmacies are already health facilities and do not need requirements to carry out tests and visits. It’s not a fight against pharmacies, but accredited private hospitals must comply with 420 requirements and I don’t see why a pharmacy shouldn’t comply with them. Furthermore, a doctor is needed who must legitimize the operation and there is none in the pharmacy today. Uap represents 95 thousand accredited private healthcare facilities with 350 thousand employees”. Thus Mariastella Giorlandino, president of the UAP, National Union of clinics, polyclinics, institutions and private hospitals, in a press conference in the Chamber on the issue of the expansion of some services such as blood tests, tests and visits to the pharmacy.
“Legality is fundamental for us – specified Giorlandino – If any type of activity were to be provided in pharmacies – but above all everything that is clinical – the requirements must be respected. We are 95 thousand structures throughout the territory, we are widespread. I am always very surprised that in recent speeches we talk about pharmacies, about general practitioners, but we forget about a reality like our precious one. We do more than 1 billion in services a year and we have to comply with more than 420 requirements. We are one wealth for the NHS, those who come to the clinic have an answer in two hours”.
“I want to tell our Minister of Health Orazio Schillaci, who is a doctor, let’s look at the quality of the service. I don’t want to attack pharmacies but you can’t give an answer on a receipt without a signature. Any activity, even an ECG, must be assembled by a cardiologist and not by a pharmacist. To pharmacies I say: don’t be offended, respect the 420 requirements and hire authorized personnel. Because – he concludes – we can’t gamble on people’s health, then if we want to put funds let’s put them on those who already do a procedure that saves people”.
