HIBAPRESS – Abdelatif Baraka
The eyes of pharmacy professionals in Morocco are turning tomorrow, Thursday, April 9th, the date of the protest called by the Confederation of Pharmacy Unions of Morocco in front of the headquarters of the Competition Council in Rabat, in an escalation step that reflects the size of the tension left by the council's recent recommendations regarding opening the capital of pharmacies.
In a statement addressed to all pharmacists, the Confederation expressed its rejection of what it described as a profound transformation affecting the essence of the profession, warning of the repercussions of these recommendations on the independence of the pharmaceutical decision and on what it considers a fundamental pillar in protecting "drug security" in the Kingdom. The professional body believes that opening the field for investors to access the capital of pharmacies, whether from within or outside the sector, may change the nature of the practice and push it towards a purely commercial logic. The professional bodies fear that this trend will lead to the weakening of the "neighborhood pharmacies" model, which for years has been based on providing a health service with a social dimension, especially in areas that largely depend on the pharmacist as the primary provider of healthcare. This escalation comes in the context of growing mobilization within the pharmaceutical body, where data indicates a wide involvement of a number of professionals across various regions of the country, which gives the expected stand a national character that goes beyond a mere circumstantial reaction to regulatory recommendations. The statement also did not hide its critical tone of what it considered a trend to reshape the sector according to an investment approach, while emphasizing the need to maintain a delicate balance between market requirements and ensuring the continuity of the health and social role of the pharmacist. Observers believe that the April 9th event will be a real test of the unity of the professional ranks, in light of major bets related to the future of organizing the pharmaceutical sector and the nature of the roles that the actors in it will play during the next stage.
