In this annual report on the safety of pharmacists, which lists the reports of aggression of professionals on the Order's form, the organization reports 366 assaults (verbal, physical or theft), including 14 overseas.
In detail, it reports 355 reports of aggression in pharmacies, 6 in medical biology laboratories and 5 in pharmacies for indoor use (PUI).
"If the peak of 600 assaults reported in the context of the health crisis tends to be absorbed, the data nevertheless reflect an increase of 17% compared to 2019," before the pandemic, notes the Order in a statement.
In pharmacies, "verbal and physical violence represent 70% of declarations, nearly 8% of which are still related to the health crisis (wearing a mask, vaccination, antigen tests)," says the Order. In 2021, the share of Covid-related assaults was 28%.
Verbal and physical violence are "mainly related to a refusal of dispensation", adds the report, which specifies that the majority of assaults suffered are not serious (95.8%).
And "this phenomenon of insecurity affects the entire national territory as evidenced by the 30% of assaults in pharmacies located in municipalities of less than 5,000 inhabitants".
The Order "strongly urges pharmacists who are victims of any type of aggression to file a complaint", noting that "this year again, 44% of declaring pharmacists do not file a complaint, in particular for lack of time, fear of reprisals or believing that it is not necessary".
© 2023 AFP