The pharmacists of the Dordogne who demonstrated in the streets of Périgueux on Wednesday morning, May 29, did not only have national demands. In addition to their questions about remuneration, market deregulation or the shortage of medicines, the professionals of the sale of medicines from Périgord were also keen to share more local fears linked in particular to…
The Dordogne pharmacists who demonstrated in the streets of Périgueux on the morning of Wednesday, May 29, did not only have national demands. In addition to their questions about remuneration, market deregulation or the shortage of medicines, professionals in the sale of Périgord medicines were also keen to share more local fears linked in particular to the working conditions of night guards.
Recently, the police informed the Dordogne pharmacists’ union that it would no longer be able to play its role as an interface between patients and pharmacies on call at night, whether in Périgueux or Bergerac. “From July 1, patient calls will go directly to pharmacists, without going through the police as is the case today,” explains Julien Migot, the president of the Périgord union.
Simpler for users?
“The rules will indeed change,” we confirm from the Périgueux police station. Users will no longer need to go to the police station with their prescription for the day and will be able to go directly to the on-call pharmacy. »
Simpler for users? Perhaps, but “the system will be much less secure for our members,” continues Julien Migot. “The filtering of calls by the police acted as a psychological safeguard for users,” confirms a pharmacist based on the outskirts of the Périgord area. Going through the police station and giving your identity could help curb incivility or deviant behavior. »
“He pulled out a knife”
Far from the police the temptation to minimize the arguments of pharmacists, but the fact remains that “they no longer have the human resources” to take on this task which they have been carrying out until now without having the regulatory obligation to do so. “We did it willingly as long as we could,” the police station said. But today, this is no longer possible. Continuing to take these calls means taking the risk of missing emergency calls. »
“When I asked him to give me his health card, he took out a knife,” explains the pharmacist.
“Of course it’s better to put pharmacists at risk of being busted by a guy armed with a knife,” grumbles a professional from the city center who experienced an unfortunate episode two months ago in her establishment. “One night in April, a man came to the pharmacy with a prescription for subutex. When I asked him to give me his health card, he took out a knife, explains the pharmacist. I gave him his medicine and didn’t insist. »
To protect herself against new mishaps, the pharmacist will not hesitate to take her dog with her during her next shifts at the pharmacy. “I hope this can be a deterrent, at least for a few,” murmurs the professional.
In rural areas
Night-time call management is not the same in town and in the countryside. In rural areas, users who dial 32 37 are directly directed to the on-call pharmacy in the area, without the emergency call services of the Dordogne gendarmerie being informed.
