Health care centers in rural areas will be authorized to carry out pharmaceutical activities under a bill approved by Parliament in the first reading on Thursday.

Such operations will be carried out only by licensed medical workers.

Another provision relates to governmental subsidies for the development of pharmaceutical activity in rural areas.

“When the (2023 state) budget was adjusted, 5 million lei was already allocated for the respective subsidies. We expect that by the end of the year we will have at least 50 pharmacies open”, said MP Dan Perciun (PAS), chair of the Social Protection Commission.

The bill’s sponsor said that the uneven geographical distribution of community pharmacies affects access to quality medicines at affordable prices for rural residents. In 2020, 1,450 pharmaceutical units operated in Moldova, of which 1,016 were in urban areas.