Moldova's Bugeac village hails new subsidized pharmacy
For a long time, access to medication has been a major challenge for residents of Bugeac village in Gagauzia, Moldova.
They used to have to travel to the city to purchase the medications they needed. Thanks to the "Pharmacy in Your Village" government program, they now have a rural pharmacy, making it much easier to access medicines, including those that are subsidized.
The pharmacy opened two weeks ago, right next to the Public Health Center. Residents said they will no longer need to travel to Comrat, located ten kilometers away, just to get their medicines.
"Previously, when you needed medicines, who would buy them?" "My daughter or someone else." "And now?" "Now I buy them myself."
"A pharmacy was needed. We didn't have one. Now it will be much more convenient, especially since I live nearby."
"I've already come for the second time, and the medications are in stock. This means it was a good idea to open the pharmacy, and it's great that we can find medicines."
"We have all the necessary medications. Even if we don't have a specific medicine at the moment, distributors work very efficiently, and the patient can come pick it up the very next day. We also dispense subsidized medications," noted Ion Zgîrcu, a pharmaceutical specialist.
A representative of the pharmaceutical company that implemented the project stated that residents had been discussing the need for a pharmacy for many years.
"There are many senior citizens who had to go to the city to buy medicines. Since the 'Pharmacy in Your Village' government program emerged, with its support, we decided to open a pharmacy here," declared Serghei Croitor, director of a pharmaceutical company.
The "Pharmacy in Your Village" program was launched last year with the aim of facilitating access to medicines for residents in rural areas. To date, over one hundred pharmacies have been opened.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
