Pharmacies on duty

In accordance with art. 94 of the Pharmaceutical Law Act, the working hours of generally accessible pharmacies in a given area are determined by a resolution by the poviat council, after consulting the commune heads (mayors, city presidents) of communes from the poviat area and the pharmacist's self-government, including the schedule of pharmacy duty hours, at night and during non-working days.

This provision has been causing misunderstandings and conflicts for many years. On the one hand, poviat councils claim that the resolutions are not respected and, moreover, they do not have any possibility to enforce the resolutions. On the other hand, pharmacists argue that the pharmacy on-call time is not financed and therefore cannot be on-call, as it means incurring losses in their business.

There were many different meetings, discussions and debates about the pharmacy roster. Lots of writings, positions and articles have been written. Despite this, the problem still exists. Attempts to look for a solution on the side of effects are doomed to failure. An effective solution to the problem will take place when the cause of the problem is eliminated, i.e. when Art. 94 in the Pharmaceutical Law. The amendment proposed by a group of deputies is the shortest. Is it possible ? Of course, it was proved by the President of the Lower Silesian Pharmacy Chamber, who contributed to the implementation of the regulation that grants pharmacists and pharmaceutical technicians legal protection.

At a press conference on August 9, 2022, Deputy Minister of Health Maciej Miłkowski announced that "night, holiday, Saturday and Sunday work hours in poviats up to 40,000 inhabitants will be financed by the National Health Fund". The President of the Supreme Pharmaceutical Council (NRA) stated that "the declaration of the Minister of Health in the area of ​​on-call duty is a good change, we have been waiting for a change in regulations in this regard for 20 years". Speaking at the joint press conference was a big mistake. The President of the Polish Bar Council does not understand the main purpose of the press conferences. The goal is as follows: the sovereign is to hear only good news (not necessarily true). It is worth emphasizing that the Presidents of the Supreme Medical Council and the Supreme Council of Nurses and Midwives understand the purpose of press conferences organized at the Ministry of Health and therefore, as a rule, do not take part in them.

A consultation report on the major amendment to the Reimbursement Act has been published. In relation to the report, a member of the NRA MSc Farm. Mariusz Politowicz stated, inter alia, that "the sanction of PLN 2,000 for not providing the poviat with information about the days and hours of work in the following year is an insulting slap in the face of all pharmacists". One cannot agree with this, because before starting to criticize the minister of health, you should start from your own backyard, i.e. the NRA. An offensive cheek for all pharmacists was the speech of the President of the Polish Bar Council at a press conference on August 9, together with the deputy minister of health. In addition, a year ago in Karpacz, the President of the NRA met with the Minister of Health and withdrew from the protest of the medical professions - which was a betrayal and offensive cheek for hospital pharmacists.

MSc farm. Walenty Zajdel