Two new governmental decrees have expanded the roles of pharmacists in France, allowing them to not only prescribe vaccinations, but also to administer them.  

Gone are the days of needing to get a prescription filled for jabs only to have to schedule another appointment with a health care professional to administer it after a trip to the pharmacy to pick up the vaccination. 

Thanks to a change in the law, the door has been opened for pharmacists to take on the dual tasks of fulfilling and giving vaccines to anyone over the age of 11.  

INCREASE IN SERVICES 

Pharmacists have been able to administer injections for 14 common shots since November 2022, but the rules were quite restrictive. Patients had to be at least 16 years of age and a prescription from a doctor of midwife was required.  

Now, they can both offer mandatory and recommended inoculations to anyone 11 years and older, bypassing a trip to the doctor’s office altogether.  

The pharmacists allowed to perform this service will have undergone practical and theoretical training. They will also have been required to sign a declaration to the pertinent authorities at the College of Pharmacists to which they are members.  

EXTENSIVE LIST 

The list of what jabs are now available at a pharmacy is quite extensive and includes diphtheria, tetanus, polio, flu, Covid, pertussis, hepatitis A and B, measles, mumps, rubella, meningococcus C, pneumococcus, tuberculosis, HPV, yellow fever, rabies, chicken pox, monkeypox and shingles.  

Pharmacies will provide patients with a “confidentiality area”, have a refrigeration unit with proper temperature recording and monitoring of vaccines, and the computer software necessary to trace each jab.  

People should visit their local pharmacy to see if they are handling all requests and whether an appointment is required.   

Make sure you’re never left out of the conversation.  

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Photo source: Ed Us, Unsplash