“It’s not in our interest to get sick”: Collioure and Port-Vendres lack doctors, could pharmacies help ?

There is only one pharmacy in operation in Collioure. DR

The municipalities of Collioure and Port-Vendres have been pre-selected to be part of the OSyS protocol, which allows pharmacists to manage six low-risk pathologies. For residents, this is a relief that would allow them to have easier access to medical care in cities where there is a shortage of doctors. 

"Luckily I'm never sick!" It is more and more difficult to find health professionals in Collioure, especially more than the rare practitioners retire one by one: "It's really complicated to have doctors here , they are willing to make an appointment with us but they do not want to become our attending physician."

The town of 2,400 inhabitants is one of the towns preselected to participate in the OSyS protocol, which allows pharmacists to treat six pathologies: cystitis, tonsillitis, first degree burns , shallow wounds, conjunctivitis and tick bites.

Doctors are scarce

The residents are waiting for the test to begin."Ah, I'm delighted! It's true that there are lots of little problems that can be resolved without going to the doctor ." Between two cafes at the foot of the Collioure bell tower, Maurice is reassured by such an initiative:  "I don't go to the doctor much, and often when I'm sick, I know very well what he's going to say to me: I'm willing to take you sir, but not before' nbsp;next week." 

The same refrain circulates on rue de la République, a stone's throw from the pharmacy. Marie* has lived here for five years and with her two children, the slightest sore throat is an ordeal: < em>"I'm going to Perpignan, but you have to take the car with a sick child, it's not ideal."

And if Marie is used to driving, this is not the case for all the residents who, as the years go by, increasingly avoid car journeys. "Our doctor retired, and since then we have been going to Argelès-sur-Mer, as long as we can drive", explains Adèle*. Pierre* draws the map of the city's doctors: "There is one who is there [rue de la République] but he is going to retire. If it's not this year it will be next year. There is one who is higher up, but he is going to retire too. There's no point in getting sick."

The situation is similar in Port-Vendres, even if the larger city has attracted more health professionals. On the port, two residents talk about their Catalan doctor: "He comes from Barcelona and leaves from time to time. He's not there all the time. But there are many, Catalans who come here for a few months and then leave."

The essential role of pharmacies

In pharmacies, pharmacists are used to playing substitutes: telling patients to remember to renew their prescription as soon as they go to the doctor, not waiting for the emergency room to consult , to direct them towards specialists further away… 

Three questions for Valérie Garnier: president of the URPS of pharmacists in Occitanie

How were the selected pharmacies in Occitanie ?

We have 40 pharmacies à validate on the region. They were é preselected because they were located in medical deserts or in coastal areas with influxes of populations over certain periods of the year. It’s mostly in rural areas. For the moment, the list is not validated.

Why did you selecté these 6 pathologies ?

First, the treatment of 13 pathologies was implemented. experienced in Brittany. We kept it. the most popular, the 6 put into operation. There is a decision tree per pathology. They were é Developed by a working group and validated by the HAS.

What do pharmacists think ?

The pharmacists are delighted! This support is something that they do every day in an unsecured and unformalized manner. Ça asks them to come and train for a whole day. We had the support of the URPS of Occitanie doctors, they are our official partners.

The Collioure pharmacy has not yet started to treat the six pathologies in the protocol, "the pharmacists still need to be trained , but that's good, we're still in the project." 

Because for them, it’s often a relief. These medical procedures, these advice, these guidelines… they have been doing them every day for years, without having the right to do so but out of necessity. By participating in this vast test carried out in 40 Occitan pharmacies, they have the opportunity to be guided, trained and assured. 

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