The petition “For the recognition and dignification of Pharmacists in the defence and valuing of the SNS” was launched by a group of citizens who gave in the document shortly after launch.

In the document, petitioners confirm this action aims to “call to attention the essential questions which affect pharmacists exerting roles in national and regional public institutions and that need an urgent resolution.”

Joana Russo, a pharmacist, added that the petition, which counts with close to 10 thousand signatures (from 7500 onwards it already has the right to be debated in parliament), aims to alert to “the way these pharmacists have been treated in a point of view of career negotiation and valorisation, of the implementation of pharmacist residency” and to “some injustices” related to the fact “of not having had an updates salary table in 24 years.”

“This situation, and well so, has already been reviewed for other careers and pharmacists have been left behind despite us having an extensive, complete scientific training that ends up not being made use of,” she highlighted.

The signatories affirmed in the document that “pharmacists are discriminated against compared to other health professionals with which they collaborate daily in hospital life, as they don’t get the fair recognition of their dignity and the value of their professional activity.”

They also highlight as points of concern, beyond the lack of a revision and update to their salaries, the non-integral counting of their time working in the public health system for the sake of their career’s promotion and progression. Pharmacists in an individual work contract just as those in a public function work contract feel the effects, with 80% being at the base of their career, many with 20 or 30 years of service.

“The insufficiency in the number of pharmacists according to their needs and the complexity of the work involved which compromises the quality of services provided, the security in the medicine cycle and the adequate access to health for the population,” the precariousness, in terms of salary and contract type, and the non-recognition of specialist titles granted by the Order of Pharmacists for integration into public Pharmacist Careers are other worries pointed out in the document.

The petitioners appeal for deputies to have “the most delicate care and quick resolution to the points brought up” in the document.

“By prolonging the injustices described hurts not just the Pharmacists exerting functions in national institutions and regional tutelages granted by Public Administration, but also the quality of services offered to users of the Public Health Service,” they conclude.