Schito (Assofarm): «Which pharmacy in an increasingly weak society?

«In recent years we have focused our reflections on the logistical and organizational contributions that we can offer to a National Health Service which, after the pandemic crisis, has become fully aware of its need for renewal. But perhaps this is not enough. Local pharmacies, and even more so us municipal pharmacies, must do more for our country.” This is the comment of Francesco Schito, general secretary of Assofarm, who reflected in the round on the role of municipal pharmacies in Italy. Schito revealed «an inevitable doubt, this, after reading a report by the Gimbe Foundation published regarding the healthcare consumption of Italian families».

Comment on the out-of-pocket spending data

The Secretary of Assofarm highlighted that «according to the well-known institute, the data regarding out-of-pocket spending do not in themselves offer useful information on the health condition of Italian families, and indeed can even mislead conclusive considerations, if such data are not made available comparison with other socio-demographic elements, such as the level of poverty of the population and the progressive weakening of the NHS. In a nutshell: families can reduce their private spending because they do not have the resources to meet their health needs, or because they are unable to access services not present in their territory”.

The impact of general family poverty

Therefore, for Schito «the general poverty of families, and in particular its geographical and temporal dynamics, are therefore essential elements for understanding the critical issues regarding the relationship between Italian society and the right to health. A relationship which, regardless of the different points of view, certainly appears to be in difficulty today.” Hence Schito’s question: “What can municipal pharmacies do in the face of this situation?”.

“Little visible” and “neglected” social demands

According to Schito «the paths that we could start taking immediately to become bearers of these little visible and often overlooked social issues». The first «combine the economic dimension with the logistical one every time we fight politically for the extension of the right of access to medicine. A right that certainly concerns those who live in geographically remote areas, and those among chronic patients who have difficulty reaching hospital pharmacies. However, a right that must be equally guaranteed to those who experience economic limitations.”

Support the weakest sections of the population

As for a possible second path, Schito highlighted that «it concerns the solution to the main organizational criticality experienced by the sector today, and which concretely risks reducing our territorial presence alongside the weakest sections of the population. We are talking about the shortage of pharmacists, a progressively growing phenomenon which has already generated more than one problem in terms of quality of service and ability to open pharmacies at guaranteed times. The reason for all this is well known. Being an employed pharmacist is no longer an enticing job: weak professional gratification, salaries considered too low, few other benefits. All this pushes young graduates to start their careers elsewhere.”

The necessary intervention on critical issues

Schito revealed that «either we will intervene on each of these critical issues, or in the medium term we will no longer have the material and professional potential that will allow us to contribute to the social relaunch of the country. The service pharmacy will certainly be one of the main answers to this problem too. And it will be so on at least two dimensions: more professional skills, generation of resources capable of rethinking the level of compensation”.

Measures to be implemented immediately

According to Schito, «in the meantime, however, we can reflect on extra-salary components, thinking above all about corporate welfare mechanisms that improve the level of attractiveness of employee work in the pharmacy. And this may be even more true for certain categories of professionals who today need greater support, such as parents of young children, or recent graduates, right up to undergraduates for whom study support can be imagined in exchange for subsequent employment contracts. The weakest and most weakened components of our society need a strong pharmacy, just as the National Health Service needs it which today, more than in the past, is truly committed to rethinking its structure to respond to a changed society. And as always, as has happened in the recent past regarding services and new remuneration, it is up to us municipal pharmacies to demonstrate that we have potential and ideas for this further leap in quality”.