The Community of Madrid and the Illustrious Official College of Pharmacists of Madrid (COFM) have agreed to sign an agreement for continue to guarantee the provision of pharmaceutical services in small towns. The approximately 63,000 Madrid residents residing in the region’s 70 municipalities with 2,500 inhabitants or less will directly benefit from this agreement, with particular attention to the elderly and those suffering from mobility difficulties.
According to sources from the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Local Administration, which included this component in the “Pueblos con vida” program, these people will be able to receive their medications at home, in addition to the care of their pharmacist when they need it. It will also be provided, via a grant, installation of blood pressure monitors and defibrillators of these cities which do not have any available to the population. The desired objective is that the 179 municipalities of Madrid have at least one resuscitation team to consider them as cardioprotected.
The Governing Council plans this Wednesday to authorize the signing of the agreement with the professional order of pharmacists. Up to 346,593 euros from public coffers will be allocated to finance actions throughout next year. “It meets the needs of patients, mainly elderly people or people with reduced mobility, who cannot travel from their homes to the pharmacy,” said the department headed by Miguel Ángel García Martín, sources who recalled that the Executive approved this legislature several incentives for rural pharmacies.
In this sense, the regional government refers to the line of aid granted a maximum of 10,000 euros to those who wish to open new pharmacies in small towns in the region. In addition, up to 5,000 euros are also offered for existing offices located in municipalities with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants.
According to data managed by the Executive, in the Community of Madrid there are currently almost 3,000 pharmacies open, but only 27 are located in municipalities with less than a thousand inhabitants and the objective is that this figure remains unchanged or increases, because the service they provide to small towns is essential.
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