Legal Framework for Vaccination in Pharmacies: The Experience of European Countries

Overcoming infectious diseases provoked by military aggression from the Russian Federation presents new challenges for the state. It's not just about developing new vaccines or updating pharmaceutical production. Very often, shortcomings in organizing population vaccination are the reason for the delayed response in times of war. This is related not only to the ignorance of the experience of developed countries by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine but also, seemingly not essential, to the preparation of qualified personnel. It concerns the implementation of Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on the recognition of professional qualifications. In this case, it is about the training of pharmacists, who are considered medical professionals according to international classification. Unfortunately, in Ukraine, there is a clear distinction between medical and pharmaceutical professionals. As a result, pharmacists do not have the right to perform even the simplest duties that any medical professional has the right to perform. In our case, it is about population vaccination. In many developed countries, primary examination (diagnosis) of patients before vaccination can be performed by pharmaceutical professionals. The experience of Germany is quite significant in this regard. According to the Law on Pharmacies, specially trained pharmacists, with the availability of special equipment and premises, have the right to conduct the primary examination of patients and vaccinate them. Can this be done in Ukraine today? At first glance, yes, but with some restrictions. The point is that the level of knowledge that modern European pharmacists must possess is not always achievable for most Ukrainian pharmacists. The profession of a pharmacist requires a wide range of knowledge. Moreover, a European pharmacist becomes such only through full-time education. Unfortunately, the Ukrainian training system involves part-time education alongside full-time. Therefore, Ukrainian pharmacists, in many cases, cannot compete with foreign pharmacists from EU countries. This is why Ukrainian pharmacists cannot be trusted to perform the functions of medical professionals, including population vaccination.