The Minister of Health Ferruccio Fazio, and then also that of Welfare Maurizio Sacconi, defined them as something "strange", for that "para" that precedes the noun. Maybe… But if you want to know my opinion, it seems to me much more strange that in Italy any lawyer, doctor, accountant, dentist or journalist, in short, any professional registered in the register can freely and privately exercise their profession, even a notary except a pharmacist.
The state concession of a pharmacy in Italy is hereditary and handed down for generations. And this is just the beginning of the story: welcome to the Italian pharmaceutical system, a sector protected by laws dating back to 1936 and the best national example of lobbying. These are the facts. In the meantime, the degree, which is five years. It's a pity that no one at the university deigns to explain to us non-"children of" that that sheet of paper will lead to a dead end and that the free profession of pharmacist will be almost prohibited by law. The forced professional outlet? Employee for life or an employee in the company. Then comes the qualification, where most of the time you work even without receiving a salary, but so be it. You have to cut your teeth.
The owner "pushes" to sell certain products, but above all often "advises" not to respect the law on prescription drugs, for obvious commercial reasons and in defiance of the rules of ethical behavior of the profession. The law took care of the rest, and in 2008 the parliament approved a law that allows the pharmacist to deliver some medicines with a prescription, without, however, showing it, for "urgency" reasons only. A solid alibi, needless to say. Not to mention the fact that very often non-graduated personnel are found at the counter for the sale of drugs, which obviously guarantees a good saving on an economic level. If this then violates the law, it doesn't matter.
The rest is recent history. In 2006 (after more than half a century of stagnation) the Bersani decree on liberalizations arrived: in Italy a pharmacist was finally allowed to open his own business, the "Parapharmacy", in which to sell drugs without a prescription. The advantages are still there for all to see: more than 3500 are born, they employ almost 7000 workers in the sector and significantly contribute to lowering average selling prices (forcing pharmacies to apply identical discounts. How do you say? It's the market, honey!).
However, that 2006 law does have a limit: it does not allow the graduate parapharmacy pharmacist, registered in the order, who regularly pays contributions and who is updated with CME courses (continuing education in medicine) to fully carry out his profession. In fact, the absurd thing is that in parapharmacies it is still not possible to sell drugs with a prescription to be paid by the citizen (band C) because according to the law it is the "pharmacy" that protects health and not "the pharmacist".
It's a big and incomprehensible limitation if only for the frustration it entails, making us feel continuously discriminated against compared to our 'brothers' pharmacists. It seemed done, and it almost was (the recognition of the band was in the third Bersani draft which however remained in the drawer, blocked, guess what... by the then minister Livio Turco who sat with Bersani in the same Prodi government).
Then the virtuous circle jammed and in September 2008 (Berlusconi government) a bill was presented, the Gasparri-Tomassini: elimination of the pharmacist in parapharmacies, the sale of only starter packs (with number of tablets and minimum dosages) and the return of all medicines in Pharmacy. If the bill ever sees the light, it would cause the gradual closure of all open parapharmacies in Italy and a return to monopoly status. The speaker, ca va sans dire, is a pharmacist, Dr. Luigi D'Ambrosio Lettieri.
The story could end here, because attempts to scuttle any liberalizing momentum in this country are the order of the day, so to date no steps have been taken to improve our condition yet. Despite the fact that for the OECD and the Bank of Italy they are the primary growth lever because it has been demonstrated that targeted structural interventions in this sense would push household consumption by 2,5%. The fifth point of the Il Sole 24 Ore manifesto also says it in these days (article by Carmine Fotina of 23 July 2011): "There is an authentic treasure hidden in the abyss of excessive regulations, one of the most neglected growth levers Italy in recent years, even in the presence of calls from international bodies".
It's still. According to a report by the Confindustria Study Centre, liberalization would produce a 20% increase in GDP over 10,8 years. Almost 1,8% per year if shock therapy were adopted. That's it. In the latest budget law, nothing or little has been done in this regard and despite the attempts of the Democratic Party, the liberalization of class C drugs, loudly requested in primis by Antonio Catricalà, has also lost this train. That indefatigable arbiter of the transfer market who even said to Bersani that he would marry him because of the great idea he had in 2006.
