site.btaPharmacists from across Romania Protest in Bucharest

Pharmacists from across Romania protested in front of the government building in Victory Square in Bucharest on Wednesday. Demonstrators held signs reading "We want medicines for Romanian patients", "We want decent salaries", "We need a sustainable economy and an increase in salaries and fringe benefits". They had also made a large-letter sign, "SOS Farmacia", in which medicine packs were pasted on the face of each letter.

The protest was organized by the Romanian pharmacists’ Initiative Group and the National Pharmacy Union in Romania. It lasted two hours despite the rain and was also joined by pharmacists working at hospitals.

"In 2016, we received salaries of RON 5,500. That was also what the doctors received: RON 5,500. But at some point, things changed. Now, as a chief pharmacist, I get RON 8,000, and a doctor at my level earns between RON 16,000 and RON 17,000 gross," BTA learned from National Pharmacy Union President Ioan Antofie, who is also Vice President of the Federal Chamber of the Unions of Physicians in Romania.

In addition to the financial aspect of the issue, another problem is the shortage of certain medicines on the Romanian market, said Bogdan Stanciu, a pharmacist based in Alba County, who has been practicing his profession for 23 years.

"Bulgarians come to buy medicines from us because a few years ago our government decided that medicines in Romania should be the cheapest in Europe. This turned out to be a big mistake because the manufacturers cannot maintain the prices imposed by the state. And we ended up with a situation where more than 1,000 products are now hard to find on the Romanian market," Stanciu said.

He and his colleagues vowed to protest until the government heed their demands and solve their problems. They insist on a change to legislation and have prepared a list of 14 demands, which they are to send to the government.