Pharmacists are confused after the new order: they are in danger of curious situations

Pharmacies are a place where not only are medicines sold, but patients are also vaccinated against a variety of infections, including the coronavirus. It is also possible to print opportunity passports (GP) of pharmacies from last week, without which, as mentioned, you will not be allowed to enter the supermarket from Monday.

So, the portal “Delfi” was interested in what will be done with those who want to be vaccinated or withdraw a passport of opportunities in a pharmacy in supermarkets?

Kristina Nemaniūtė-Gagė, president of the Lithuanian Pharmacy Association, said after meeting with SAM on Thursday: “It seems to me that we all agree that drugs are essential goods that deteriorate the health and well-being of patients. It would cost the state even more, as those people would end up in medical facilities that are already overcrowded.

We understand the desire and goal of the state to vaccinate as many people as possible and we support it. Pharmacies contribute both by vaccinating and providing information to the population about the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines, and they are currently issuing opportunity passports to the Lithuanian population (today we have already issued 122 thousand opportunity passports). However, we take the position that all Lithuanians should have access to all Lithuanian pharmacies. “

K. Nemaniūtė-Gagė hoped that it would be possible to avoid curious situations in which a person could not go to a pharmacy where they wanted to take a passport of opportunities or get vaccinated against COVID-19.

In addition, the ability to order prescription drugs at home has not yet been legalized, so restricting access to a pharmacy will reduce the availability of the drugs you need.

“Offering residents to go to another pharmacy is not a way out either; not everyone can do it, some of our patients have mobility problems, it would be especially inconvenient and sometimes impossible for them to go to another pharmacy.”

Also, the range of drugs in pharmacies varies: there are not so many rare and expensive drugs on the market that are available in every pharmacy. Therefore, if you cannot get to a particular pharmacy, a person will be forced to wait until the medicine they need is delivered to them at another pharmacy; this can take 2 business days in the city or 4 business days in a rural area.

We understand that in this difficult situation, we all need to focus and think not only about the convenience of individual companies, but also about how to ensure the provision of essential services in accordance with security requirements.

Solutions can be very simple, for example, to ensure that all patients have access to the pharmacy, but restricting access from there to the supermarket, where all other customers have access passports. If there is a desire, it is really possible to find technical possibilities to implement it, because the interests of the patients are the most important ”, K. Nemaniūtė-Gagė did not hesitate.

Aušra Budrikienė, general director of the UAB Nemuno vaistinė, which manages the Camelia pharmacy chain, commented to the Delfi portal that according to the latest resolution, only people with passports will be able to access pharmacies located in supermarkets, since family doctors They will be consulted at the main entrances of the supermarket.

“As our pharmacies in supermarkets do not have separate entrances, according to the current resolution, people who do not have a GP will not be able to go to the pharmacy. In our opinion, this decision is wrong, because pharmacies provide the necessary pharmaceutical service: here patients consult and buy medicines.

Access to pharmacies in supermarkets was also possible during the quarantine and did not require a separate entrance, so we believe that the current restriction is incorrect. We also emphasize that, for example, our pharmacies where COVID-19 vaccination is carried out in Vilnius are located in supermarkets – Nordika and Helios City. Unless the current decision is changed, residents will not be able to get COVID-19 to go to pharmacies.

Patients will be able to enter pharmacies that have a separate entrance from the outside without a passport, ”recalled A. Budrikienė.

Asked about how it is planned to do with those who go to pharmacies for vaccination, the head of the pharmacy network said: “Our pharmacies where COVID-19 vaccination is carried out are located in the Vilnius – Nordika and Helios City shopping centers.

As these pharmacies have vaccination rooms, these pharmacies have the status of a personal health care institution, so access to them must be unrestricted. However, since these pharmacies are located in supermarkets, current requirements state that patients coming for vaccination must be seen by a pharmacist at the main door of the supermarket and, after vaccination, escorted to the main door of the supermarket. .

This would greatly complicate the vaccination process, since we do not have staff to work with the companion, which would affect the provision of pharmaceutical services to other patients, and the vaccinating pharmacist has to prepare for the vaccination, order the workplace after the procedure, prepare for other vaccinations, etc. “

Laura Bielskė, communication manager of the pharmacy network “Eurovaistinė”, said that a plan has been prepared, which will be taken from Monday.

“We try not to cause any inconvenience to our customers. For those who will not be able to enter our pharmacy without a passport, we will indicate the closest place where all residents enter.

There are more than fifty pharmacies in large supermarkets. Already on our website www.apie-eurovaistine.lt, everyone can check which pharmacies we will be able to accept only for residents with a passport for opportunities.

For those who have not yet had the opportunity to acquire a passport, we will wait any day in pharmacies and issue it for free. Over two hundred pharmacies in our network have outside entrances and, as always, they will safely accept all residents.

Eurovaistinė will continue to vaccinate against COVID-19, as usual in Vilnius, Ukmergės str. 282 in the network pharmacy ”- promised L. Bielskė to the Delfi portal.

Mindaugas Urbas, Marketing and Communication Manager of the BENU Pharmacies Network, believes that we will find satisfactory solutions: “We work during the pandemic and we always find solutions to follow the regulations and guarantee the safety of both employees and customers. However, it must be recognized that the decision to allow customers to use only Passport passports in pharmacies located in supermarkets has not been discussed and taken less than a week before the new regime.

While most BENU pharmacies have separate entrances from outside or are outside of supermarkets, the new order will cause inconvenience for some customers. For example, a pharmacy in Vilnius, which is located in a shopping center on Kedrų street, can be vaccinated against COVID-19. We see that this service is very relevant because vaccination times always fill up quickly.

With the new regime, people without a passport will not be able to get vaccinated at this pharmacy. “

Remember that the passport of opportunity can be obtained by vaccinating with Comirnaty (manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech) or Spikevax (manufactured by Moderna) 1 week after the second dose.

Vaccine Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, manufactured by COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen (manufacturer Janssen Pharmaceutica NV), will receive a 2-week opportunity passport. after a single dose of vaccine.

For those who have been vaccinated with Vaxzevria (Astrazeneca), a passport is issued 4 weeks, but no later than 13 weeks after the first dose and immediately after the second dose.

After vaccination against COVID-19 disease and GP, GPs can be obtained after 2 weeks. after any single dose of vaccine.

A passport of opportunity can also be expected in case of COVID-19 disease, if no more than 210 days have passed. from a positive COVID-19 test result.

Those with antibodies can also get a passport of opportunity. In the case of a positive quantitative or semiquantitative serological immunoassay for COVID-19 IgG antibodies or total antibodies, up to a maximum of 60 days.

This document is also issued after a PCR test. With a paid negative SARS-CoV-2 PCR test result, it is valid for 48 hours. from the moment of sampling.