We publish the interventions of Federfarma Lombaria and the Federation of Italian Pharmacists’ Orders on Professor Garattini‘s statements
We receive and publish the statements of Federfarma Lombardia and the Federation of Italian Pharmacist Orders, regarding an article which reported Professor Garattini’s statements to «Cultural Renaissance».
Dear Professor Garattini,
I address you with profound respect for your long career as a pharmacologist, eminent researcher and scientific communicator, with whom I share the Lombard identity and the spirit of service towards the well-being of the community. Yours has always been an authoritative voice in the debate on public health and I recognize the merit of raising complex and stimulating issues, which push everyone to reflect rigorously.
For this reason, on behalf of the Lombard pharmacies that I have the honor of representing, I feel the duty to respond to some of your statements, read with regret in recent days in the Corriere della Sera, according to which our businesses have become “bazaars”, places in which the professionalism of the pharmacist would almost take second place, compared to the mere sale of commercial products with dubious scientific bases. This image does not do justice to the crucial role played, every day, by community pharmacies and the professionals who work there, in support of citizens and the NHS.
In recent years, with the growth of the service pharmacy, the “green crosses” have undergone a radical transformation. They have evolved and renewed to respond to the new health needs of an aging population, becoming the first and most widespread healthcare facility in the area: dispensers of medicines, including new generation ones, which the NHS increasingly entrusts to us to facilitate citizens in accessing care, and businesses capable of offering services and consultancy even in small towns or rural areas.
Today, pharmacies are recognized as a precious ally of doctors and institutions in screening programs, vaccination campaigns and health education initiatives, in the measurement of clinical parameters, in carrying out first-instance analyzes and in the provision of telemedicine services, in connection with the best cardiologists for reporting.
These activities, carried out daily with competence and dedication, do not arise from commercial logic, but from a concrete need: to bring healthcare closer to the citizen, helping to reduce the pressure on hospitals and local services, in line with the objectives of healthcare increasingly oriented towards proximity, prevention and sustainability. Are there non-strictly pharmaceutical products available in pharmacies? The plurality of offers does not distort their role nor replace professional responsibility. The pharmacist is a professional with a long and difficult degree behind him and guides the citizen in the most appropriate choice, basing his judgment on knowledge and scientific evidence. Offering supplements, medical devices or cosmetics does not mean abandoning science, but responding to the demand for well-being that citizens often ask their trusted pharmacy.
I am sure that – like us – you too, Professor, want an efficient, accessible and inclusive healthcare system. In this context, I believe it is essential to reiterate the role of pharmacies, as a strategic resource for public health: not as simple commercial spaces, but as local socio-health facilities close to citizens, especially the most vulnerable.
With sincere affection and esteem,
Annarosa Racca
President of Federfarma Lombardia
Professor Silvio Garattini’s statements offer the starting point for a reflection on the issues of prevention, the conscious use of medicines and correct information in the healthcare sector.
The debate is always a value, especially when it calls all of us – healthcare professionals, institutions, operators in the healthcare supply chain – to maintain high attention on the primary interest: the protection of citizens. In this sense, many of Professor Garattini’s requests, in particular on the importance of correct lifestyles and prevention, find pharmacists as attentive and committed interlocutors in the area every day. In fact, it is in people’s daily lives that our commitment takes shape: welcoming, listening, advising, accompanying them on treatment and prevention paths, with competence, responsibility and an ethical sense.
Two clear references guide our work: article 32 of the Constitution, which establishes the protection of health as a fundamental right, and the Code of Conduct, which places the person at the centre. The dispensing activity, like all the services we provide to citizens, takes place in compliance with the rules and decisions of the regulatory authorities. Even with regards to the products available in pharmacies, the picture is clear: food supplements are regulated by the Ministry of Health, which supervises their safety and compliance; homeopathic products are recognized and regulated by the Italian Medicines Agency. In this context, the pharmacist guarantees that every professional act is consistent with current legislation and oriented exclusively to the protection of the citizen.
It is precisely starting from this mission that the profession has undergone a profound evolution, consolidating its role as a local healthcare unit and increasingly establishing itself as an integral part of the National Health Service. The pandemic was confirmation of this: millions of tests and vaccinations carried out, continuity of pharmaceutical assistance guaranteed throughout the country, constant presence alongside citizens. From that experience, the healthcare role of the pharmacist and his involvement in prevention and care activities in the area emerged with even greater clarity.
Vaccinations, screening, telemedicine, health education, monitoring of therapeutic adherence – a crucial element in the management of chronic pathologies – are today an integral part of the service pharmacy model, recognized by state laws which identify the pharmacist as an essential ally in the protection of collective health. Our commitment is constant in promoting correct and conscious use of medicines – from self-medication to prescription ones -, guiding towards appropriate and responsible health choices, thus contributing to the effectiveness of treatment paths and the sustainability of the system.
Consistent with this vision, training and continuous updating represent a constant commitment of pharmacists and a pillar of federal policy. The reform of the university system for the degree course in Pharmacy, strongly supported by the Federation of Pharmacists’ Associations, has consolidated the health profile of the pharmacist, making him even more prepared to face the challenges of preventing and managing chronic conditions.
The protection of the right to health is the mission of the pharmacist and is a responsibility shared by all the actors of the NHS. Citizens need cohesion, clear messages, trust in the health system.
The Federation of Italian Pharmacists’ Orders will continue to promote professional quality, ethical rigor and constructive dialogue with institutions and the scientific world, so that every choice is always oriented towards the protection of public health.
This is, and will continue to be, our commitment.
Andrea Mandelli
President of the Federation of Italian Pharmacists’ Orders (FOFI)
