Two days of discomfort for patients and insured

Once again, the insured Greeks are hostage to the protests by pharmacists. Pharmacies outside Attica are closing for 48 hours, and those in Attica will remain open but will not supply medical products on credit to the insured of six funds.

The Panhellenic Pharmaceutical Association (PFS) decided on the 48-hour warning strike last Monday in protest against the decline of pharmaceutical care and the stifling lack of liquidity faced by pharmacies. That same day, in their general assembly, the strong associations of PFS followed a different path to address the problems of the industry.

The Athens Pharmaceutical Association (FSA) and the Piraeus Pharmaceutical Association (FSP) announced that they will keep their pharmacies open but will stop giving medicine on credit to the insured, excluding EDOEAP, TYPET and EYDAP funds  that do not have debts with the two Associations. Those who lose most by the pharmacists' protests in Attica are the insured of TAP-OTE, Alpha Bank, TSMEDE, TSAY, the ​​Lawyers' Fund and ISAP, who will have to pay for their medication and then provide evidence to their funds for compensation.

All pharmaceutical associations agreed that if they do not get paid by next Friday, March 16, from EOPYY they will stop granting credit to the 9.2 million members of the Organization.

One target, two “lines”

The differentiation of the two Pharmaceutical Associations in Attica did not seem awkward to their industry. Besides, officially the representatives of the PFS, FSA and FSP insist the important thing is to have common goals and common demands as a sector rather than the technical details of their protests. Everyone agrees that the major issue is the lack of liquidity in pharmacies and converges absolutely in claiming the debts of the insurance funds to 12,500 pharmacists in the country at nearly 350 million euros.

"Pharmacists are no longer able to support the system of pharmaceutical care and have the State targeting them. The system is based on credit provided by pharmacists to the funds," says PFS president Theodoros Abatzoglou.

The presidents of the Attica pharmacists, representing approximately 6,500 pharmacists, are moving along the same line. "The Pharmaceutical Association of Attica has exceeded the limits of its patience. The debts of pension funds to pharmacies in Attica reach 138 million euros. OPAD owes prescriptions from last April. The pharmacist can no longer be credited by the State," said FSA president Constantinos Lourantos. The debts of pension funds to the pharmacists of Piraeus are about 68 million euros. "We demand the immediate payment of what we are owed," says FSP president Konstantinos Kouvaris.

They answer to different audiences

Unofficially, everyone admits that the differentiation in actions is imposed by the different problems of the industry in the regions from the ones in Attica.

The pharmacies in the regions do not face a liquidity problem as great as those in Attica. Their reaction and protest is against the memorandum in general, as well as against the pharmaceutical care it includes. Even in terms of the issue of opening hours in most regional areas, the common line was formed more easily by opening pharmacies on Monday and Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings.

In Attica, pharmacists are suffocated by the debts because they have the lion's share of the debt from the funds. For them, liquidity is a major issue, hence the decision not to participate in the 48-hour strike by the PFS.