On 16 December, the Minister of Health, Mónica García, presided over the Panorama Awards ceremony, organised by the General Pharmaceutical Council of Spain, which recognises the most innovative medicines, and the Medals of the Pharmaceutical Profession, which distinguish the contribution of pharmacists and institutions to make advance the profession.
The minister took the opportunity to highlight the assets of pharmacies, such as their accessibility, humanity and trustworthiness, and their role as the gateway to the healthcare system. In this regard, she recalled that ‘80% of people visit primary care centres and 100% of us visit a pharmacy, where we come into contact with a professional who advises us and helps us understand what medicines are for and how we should take them’.
She also stressed that pharmacists are ‘the gateway to the system, a gateway that makes our system capillary, reaching all territories, just as our universal public healthcare system does’.