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Pharmacies in Andalucía will soon be able to request prescription renewals for patients with chronic conditions or illnesses, eliminating the need for such patients to make repeat appointments with their GP solely for this purpose. Antonio Sanz announced the news on Sunday, during the main event held in Seville honoring the Immaculate Consciousness, the patron of pharmacists. Sanz said that before the end the year we will launch a programme pilot which will connect doctors and pharmacies directly through a communication channel. This will improve patient safety, monitor prescribed drug treatment and continuity of patient care.
Sanz says that this new system, which connects the pharmacist with the prescribing doctor, “will be implemented in all pharmacies in the first quarter of the year, and in March will allow the pharmacy to ask for the renewal of prescription treatments for chronic patients, without the need to schedule an appointment or visit the health center”.
As the Junta has stated in a press release, this programme will have a final phase that will allow, in the second quarter of 2026, any pharmacy outside of Andalucía to also communicate with a doctor from the Andalusian health service.
Sanz called this development “good news” and said it would “improve healthcare for people”. This move, he said, confirms that ‘community pharmacies can be a valuable ally to our healthcare system.
He also praised “close cooperation” between his department, the regional health minister and community pharmacies. He described this as “an essential part of the Andalusian system public healthcare”. The system is “better because of them” and that’s something we can all be proud of, said the regional health minister.
Collaboration in the pandemic phase and beyond
Sanz highlighted pharmacies’ collaboration in the Covid-19 pandemic. “They were on the front lines, helping and attending to unexpected needs. They always stood by the people.” He also mentioned the pharmacies’ contribution to this year’s development of the West Nile Virus control and monitoring program and to the smooth operation of this winter season.
Finally, he pointed out that there are many lines of joint work between his regional ministry and the main body in Andalucía representing all certified pharmacists regarding public healthcare and the rational use of medicines, among other issues. “We will keep working on improving the collaboration between pharmacists and public [healthcare] system with a single, common and shared objective: to improve the lives of the people of Andalucía,” he concluded.
