Invisible Heroes of the rear: As pharmacists have become support for millions of Ukrainians during a full -scale invasion of

In the early days of Russia's invasion, pharmacists, risking their lives, went to work under fire, lived in pharmacies with their families, and helped the wounded. On the Pharmacy Day, we decided to ask the Executive Director "Pharmacy 9-1" Yulia Klimenyuk about the modern role of the pharmacist in Ukraine during the war, the challenges facing the industry, and why pharmacists deserve the title of "heroes" today.

How would you describe the role of a pharmacist in Ukraine during the war?  During the war, pharmacists began to trust much more. In Ukraine, even its own trend was born - family pharmacy. That is, pharmacists in pharmacies are now even in large cities, not to mention small settlements, take care of people's health as family doctors. At the beginning of a full -scale invasion of pharmacists, they collected medicines for the military, for people who were forced to live in shelters and subway.

It was the season of colds and viruses, so pharmacies not only provided first aid to patients in the basements, but also made lists of the necessary medicines and after work brought them to people. And it is worth mentioning that pharmacists saved people after shelling, often even on the ladder of the pharmacy - tied, imposed turnstiles and more.

Therefore, the only word that fits here is heroes!  So it will be right to say that pharmacists have become "invisible heroes of the rear"? Tell us how your network worked in the first days of a full -scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine? At the beginning of the invasion, pharmacists were faced with a choice: staying at home safe or going to work, risking their own life.

Most of our employees chose the second, because they understood that their presence depends on the access of patients to medication. It was difficult to get to pharmacies: public transport did not work, had to overcome the multi -kilometer distances. The road was often under fire - pharmacists hid in the entrances or fell to the ground during explosions, but still came to work. Some not only worked, but also lived in their pharmacies with families.

The basements became shelters, where pharmacists equipped life and at the same time continued to serve patients. The work shifts lasted from morning to evening, and there were children and relatives near the cellars. Despite the lack of light, cold and constant shelling, our pharmacies worked.

Pharmacists provided people with medicines, supported morally and actually became part of the survival system of Ukrainians in the first months of the war, so they are really heroes, and I will not cease to thank them. Your pharmacies continue to work in close proximity to the front. What motivates your team to go to work daily in danger? Social responsibility that became law for our pharmacy network long before the full -scale war.

Medicines are not sausage, candy and not even bread - life, especially for patients with chronic diseases, elderly people and children. After all, the speed of response to the call of the disease, so recovery depends on whether there is a "at hand" of the drug.   What are the main challenges of the pharmaceutical industry today? The pharmaceutical industry of Ukraine is now experiencing difficult times.

At the same time, it is one of the most critical to the state, because it provides access to drugs to citizens even in areas close to hostilities and one of the most vulnerable.   The shelling destroys and damages the pharmaceutical products, warehouses where medicines, pharmacies are stored, which reduces the availability of medicines for the population. For many frontier regions, for example, Kharkiv, Sumy region, Zaporizhzhya, Donetsk and Kherson regions, logistics is a painful problem.

First, because of the danger, they do not want to carry the goods, and secondly, the destroyed roads and delivery of drugs under the accompaniment of drones not all suppliers in power. Separately, regulatory and legal conflicts should be dwell: constant renewal of licensing conditions and GMP requirements complicate the entry into the market of new drugs.

And the transition to European quality standards and pharmacovigilance, which are introduced without proper processing and taking into account the Ukrainian realities, has already led to the closure of pharmacies, in particular in small settlements and in the territories close to the front. Mobile pharmacies have also been the victims of non -consistent prohibitions and ill -considered innovations.

For example, our network was forced to stop the operation of two mobile pharmacies in Kharkiv and Kherson. That is, people who live under shelling and do not always have the opportunity to go tens of kilometers for the necessary drugs, in particular, under the program "Available medicines", they were thrown for the same due to ill -considered regulatory changes.

The attempt to increase control over prices for medicines and the ban on prices marketing has not been reduced, but a certain shortage of drugs in the market is already emerging. Well, of course, a personnel famine, which was due to the fact that many pharmacists went abroad and to safer regions. That is, now finding an experienced pharmacist for work, for example, at a pharmacy in Kharkiv, Sumy or Zaporizhzhya region - not even with two stars.

 How did the war affect the availability of medicines to the population and what does the industry do to ensure uninterrupted deliveries? In the early days of a full -scale invasion, many pharmacies did not open - employees left the cities or could not leave for work because of the danger and fear of leaving children at home. Already at the beginning of a full -scale war, more than 120 pharmacies of our network were destroyed, damaged and looted.

Another 174 institutions, along with hundreds of employees, found themselves in the occupied territories where there was no connection for a long time. Those pharmacies that stayed immediately faced the influx of patients and, as a consequence, shortage of drugs. Due to the fact that our network has our own composition, we quickly renewed logistics and provided the opportunity to supply medicines even to pharmacies near hostilities where suppliers did not dare to go.

Has the attitude of Ukrainians to pharmacists changed at this difficult time? Yes, people saw how they worked even under shelling, how they ran into shelter with the visitors, but did not throw them to their own.   What changes in the legislation are most concerned about the pharmaceutical community? Undoubtedly, it is a ban on marketing contracts. If it continues to act, it can lead to the closure of pharmacies that perform a social mission and work for a loss to provide people with medicines.

Law No. 4122 about dietary supplements, which has been put into operation since September 27, is also concerned. There is a threat that dietary supplements will disappear from pharmacies, and many patients who need to maintain the condition of the body, for example, after chemotherapy, will be left without nutritional support.

  Is there any excess in Ukraine or, conversely, a lack of pharmacies if you look compared to European countries? In Ukraine, unlike the European Union, there are no standards for the number of inhabitants per pharmacy. Therefore, this question should be asked to patients who measure the distance to the pharmacy not meters or kilometers, but the steps they have to go through or not. Let me remind you that the availability of medicines is the basic need and basic right of Ukrainians.

How do you feel about limiting the number of pharmacies? Will this benefit patients? If you hint that limiting the number of pharmacies will reduce the cost of medication, then this will not happen. And if not, what benefit are we talking about? In the early 1990s, pharmacies were released in free swimming precisely because it was impossible to buy medicines and the queues were such that patients were stood for hours, unconscious, heart attacks and strokes.

Do we want a repetition? In addition, it should not be forgotten that, according to the Ministry of Health, more than 80% of villages in Ukraine do not have stationary pharmacies. In the central and western regions, which are considered relatively safe, there are still enough pharmacies, people there are forced to overcome tens of kilometers to buy medicines.

What do you think can become a Ukrainian pharmaceutical driver in the coming years? The development of pharmaceutical science and the production of not only generics but also innovative medicines. This will allow such treatment to be accessible to Ukrainians, in particular with orphan diseases.   What qualities should a modern pharmacist have to be a real professional? Responsibility, humanity and willpower.