Madrid, November 5, 2020. – Another VOX hit. The Madrid Assembly has approved the initiative of the parliamentary group to promote the realization of Coronavirus tests in Madrid pharmacies, something that is already done in Galicia -for example- and whose implementation is only a matter of “political will”.
This is a measure that VOX has raised for months in numerous questions in plenary and commissions and that, finally, has seen the green light in the form of Proposition No of Law (NLP). In it, the Government of the Community of Madrid is urged to exercise the competencies that correspond to it to allow pharmacists to be counted on, once again, in the battle against the virus.
“In Orense it is already done – they have more than 6,000 – which shows that it is a matter of political will, of wanting. If you want, you can ”, stated the VOX Health spokesperson in the Madrid Assembly, Gádor Joya. “The problem is that you (the Government of the CAM) have been announcing for months that they want to have pharmacies, but it is not enough to wish it. The Ministry of Health is competent, if not, look at Galicia. But it seems that they want to be regulated by others and hide behind the central government so as not to take the initiative, not manage and have someone to hold responsible, "lamented the deputy. "Every day that passes is a day won by the virus and they have been wasting this opportunity for months," he added.
Hence, the NLP approved this Thursday – without any support from the left of the Chamber – serves to urgently support the ability of these health professionals to perform tests -PCR, antigens, serologicals, etc.-. “The urgent and exceptional nature of this situation (a second wave of infections with Primary Care still saturated) requires that all available human and material resources be managed in the best possible way. And among them are the pharmacists who, while people were alone and not knowing what to do, never turned off the green cross ", defended the VOX deputy.
Toilets that are part of people's lives
Gádor Joya defended relentlessly that “pharmacists are part of people's lives” and defended his statement with data: they have assisted more than 30 million Spaniards during the first month of the pandemic, 2.2 million Spaniards a through telephone assistance, 850,000 in their homes … "At a critical moment they have responded to the challenge," he insisted.
In addition, he recalled that pharmacists are university graduates, who are already part of the health system, who partly have access to medical records, who comply with an ethical code and who, in other territories, perform other functions such as dispensing hospital drugs. Likewise, “they already participate in colon cancer and HIV screening, which shows their ability to screen and detect,” argued Gádor Joya.
"In the Community of Madrid there are 2,800 health points capable of screening the entire population in less than two weeks and with guarantees," quantified the spokesperson for VOX Health in the Madrid Assembly. And he concluded: “Do not allow yourself the luxury of wasting a single resource. Count on the pharmacists. And do it now ”.
