Vending machines to ‘stand in’ for small town Bulgarian pharmacies

 

Pharmacy owners would be able to register vending machines for over-the-counter medicines to be placed in towns and villages in Bulgaria where no pharmacies are available, the Ministry of Health told Euractiv.

Nearly 10% of Bulgarian municipalities do not have a single pharmacy on their territory, and many cities with a population of up to 50,000 people do not have a 24-hour pharmacy, further complicating access to medicines.

According to the health ministry, the latest amendments to the Medicinal Products in Human Medicine Act will solve part of this problem, as they will allow vending machines outside pharmacies to sell medicines that do not need a doctor’s prescription. (...)