For more than two years, pharmacists can already, under certain conditions, vaccinate the French against influenza. From January 1st, they will have new prerogatives since they will be able to practice an angina test – a small sample in the throat – in order to check if it is viral or bacterial. The idea, with this measure, is to avoid the misuse of antibiotics and therefore to fight against their resistance. Pharmacists will also be able to prescribe certain medications themselves, without a prescription.. But it will only be reserved for very specific pathologies such as abscesses in the mouth, conjunctivitis, or even urinary tract infections.
“Get relief immediately without having to go to the emergency room”
“This will allow us, for example for cystitis, to give under certain conditions an antibiotic suitable for cystitis of women, provided that they are not recurrent, that there is no temperature, nor low back pain who may show a sign of aggravation “, explains Gilles Bonnefond, President of the Union of pharmacist unions. This will allow the young woman to be “relieved immediately without having to go to the emergency room. Whether on weekdays or weekends”. Latest news: depending on the patient’s pain and their state of healing, the pharmacist can adjust the dosage of certain treatments such as anti-inflammatories.
This new measure delights many: “It avoids going to see your doctor. So when I get angina, I will go to my pharmacist rather than going to see my doctor directly,” reacts a Parisian. “If we can focus the doctors on the most complex needs and delegate what is simpler to the other health professionals, that seems very intelligent to me,” said another.
But some do not agree: “For doctors, it is still a loss to gain, it is not really justified. Everyone has their job, their experience in their field.”
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