Doctors’ offices in pharmacies are a hoax: López-Gatell; specialists propose integration

The Undersecretary of Health affirmed that pharmacy offices must be regulated, although he says that “the desirable thing is that they do not exist.”

Pharmacy offices do not meet the basic needs of the population and should not exist and work must be done on their regulation, said the Undersecretary for Prevention and Health Promotion, Hugo López-Gatell, statements that provoked strong criticism on social networks and that, according to specialists, should call for the integration of this sector into the health system.

“In the last approximately eight to 10 years, these types of medical care units began to be established, offices attached to the pharmacy, adjacent to the pharmacies, not in any pharmacy, but in a group of chain pharmacies or corporate pharmacies, which are very lucrative companies that have a presence in almost the entire national territory,” said Undersecretary López-Gatell during President López Obrador’s morning press conference.

“When you analyze this in a timely manner, you can see that it is actually a great deception. In what sense? The offices adjacent to the pharmacy do not solve major health problems (perhaps they solve a little flu, a headache, diarrhea), and could even endanger your health and your life,” said López-Gatell.

The undersecretary also warned that the working conditions of medical personnel are in danger.

“In general, they are young people who work in very precarious conditions. There is a whole issue, including labor justice or even compliance with laws related to working conditions that could be being systematically violated in these offices adjacent to pharmacies by these corporations, they are temporary contracts” he added.

“There is going to be a transition phase. The offices attached or adjacent to pharmacies today cover a need, but unfortunately in very precarious conditions, precarious for the population that is served, precarious for the workers, doctors who work there and, on the other hand, very lucrative for those corporations. But we cannot cancel them outright,” added the undersecretary. “What is desirable is that they do not exist and to the extent that the public system guarantees free, universal access, everyone has access and, of course, that quality is attractive to the people, that is the approach, but it is very likely that this transition phase implies more strict regulation”.