15,000 professionals are missing in pharmacies. Twice more than in 2021. Aurélien Filoche, co-founder of OuiPharma, platform of transmission des pharmacies, calls on the government to restore attractiveness to the profession of pharmacy technician and is committed to promoting recruitment.
The shortage of personnel is increasingly affecting the pharmacy sector, three thousand of which have disappeared in six years.. In 2021, there was a shortage of nearly 10,000 pharmacists and technicians in the 21,000 pharmacies in France. One year later, this shortage has worsened with 15,000 positions to be filled and a worrying and persistent lack of candidates. Salaries often insufficiently attractive, working conditions considered too restrictive (schedules, week-ends, vacation…) and new expectations of young graduates contribute to maintaining the shortage of personnel to the point that some in the profession are questioning : faced with this insufficient presence in pharmacies with regard to regulatory obligations, many seek to adapt. A few, for the moment, have even already had to resolve to reduce their opening hours. This is what Aurélien Filoche observed during his numerous contacts with the profession and its representatives., co-founder of the OuiPharma site. Purpose of the platform : facilitate the transmission of pharmacies to maintain good national coverage at a time of growing desertification, massive retirements and while : “Of the 3,000 pharmacies put up for sale each year, only half find a buyer today ! » declares Aurélien Filoche.
Increase the numerus clausus
While the health budget will soon arrive on the desk of the National Assembly, Aurélien Filoche launches an appeal to the government. He asks for an increase in the numerus clausus. “The government increased the number of places in pharmacy faculty by 300 last year to bring them to 17,000 over five years.. Or, 17 000, these are the immediate needs, knowing moreover that 5,000 of the 50,000 community pharmacists are already of retirement age and are struggling to find successor buyers. » Aurélien Filoche wants a significant gesture from the government to improve the attractiveness of the profession of pharmacy technician. In particular by granting these employees the status of “health professional”, which is not the case today.
A Pharmacy Job Caravan
OuiPharma has been facilitating the sale of pharmacies since 2015 by giving visibility to for-sale announcements. In 2021, of the 1,400 pharmacy sales recorded in France, 332 were made thanks to him. The OuiPharma site currently displays 700 sales offers. Since the beginning of summer, these transactions are facilitated with the establishment of secure internal messaging accessible to the 11,000 pharmacists registered on the site who can communicate in complete confidentiality. OuiPharma now intends to contribute to combating the shortage of staff in pharmacies. In 2022, one in two job offers posted on OuiPharma finds a taker. The platform currently has 150 vacancies. OuiPharma therefore wants to mobilize young graduates, most of whom traditionally wish to “get their hands on” the pharmaceutical industry before joining a pharmacy.. Aurélien Filoche will soon launch a “pharmacy employment caravan” across France for young pharmacists in the country. “The objective is to make young people aware of the urgency of bringing their skills to community pharmacists who, without them, will either have to close, or reduce their activity”, he explains.
