Under certain conditions, pharmacists will be able to directly dispense medications in the event of a positive test for bacterial angina or cystitis, after publication of a decree in the Official Journal, Tuesday June 18. This is a provision provided for as part of the law on financing Social Security 2024, adopted at the end of 2023 by Parliament.
In the event of a positive test for bacterial angina, direct delivery of the antibiotic, without a medical prescription, will be possible for patients over 10 years old, while it will be possible in the event of cystitis for women aged 16 at 65 years old, without signs of fever.
The first direct deliveries to pharmacies could take place “within fifteen days”, while the first pharmacists follow the online training necessary to be able to do so, Philippe Besset, president of the Federation of Pharmacists of France, told Agence France-Presse. The pharmacist will be paid 10 euros in the event of a negative test, and 15 euros in the event of a positive test.
Lighten the workload of doctors
This direct delivery by pharmacists is part of current efforts to lighten the workload of doctors, in a context of medical desertification. Other decrees moving in the direction of greater sharing of tasks with doctors are awaited by health professionals, who hope to see them appear before the legislative elections and the change of government.
Advanced practice nurses are awaiting the decree which will allow patients to make an appointment directly with them, without a medical prescription. This direct access, provided for by the Rist law of May 2023, will however only be possible for those working in certain collective structures such as health establishments, health centers or nursing homes. Nurses are also awaiting a decree that will give them more autonomy in wound care.
Physiotherapists hope for the publication of a decree allowing them to experiment with direct access in thirteen departments, when they are part of a Professional Territorial Health Community (CPTS), a measure promised by the Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal. They are also awaiting a decree allowing them to prescribe certain health products, including some analgesics and anti-inflammatories.