The Mayor of Villalba and the new President of the Association of Mayors of Puerto Rico Luis Javier Hernández called on the Minister of Health, Dr. Lorenzo González and the Adjutant General of the Puerto Rico National Guard, General Reyes, to make public pharmacies are integrated into the mass vaccination process against Covid-19, a collaborative initiative that has not yet been implemented.
“In the spirit of contributing to the process, I have held several conference calls and we have confirmed that community pharmacies and members of the College of Pharmacists can be part of the vaccination process. Since the health goal is to vaccinate as many citizens as possible, we have a perfect means for this at the community pharmacies. There are one or more in every city in Puerto Rico, ”the lawyer also explained.
Hernández also argued that the staff working in community pharmacies are aware of the needs of the neighborhoods they serve and, above all, can contribute to helping people who are bedridden or have mobility problems. “We are positive that Health and the National Guard have made agreements with multinational pharmacy chains, but we understand that given the need to vaccinate as many people as possible, we need to rely on community pharmacies to expand the scope of action. . That is our recommendation ”.
Likewise, personnel working in these facilities should be given priority in the vaccination process. “It involves health personnel, pharmacists, logistical support and direct care for people with special health problems and treatments and they also need to be vaccinated as soon as possible,” added the mayor. The Community Pharmacy Association is a non-profit organization whose origins date back to 1952 and there are currently approximately 800 pharmacies of this type in Puerto Rico.