TRENTO. New rules for diabetics and it’s immediately chaos. From 1 January, in fact, the supply system for supplies has changed, especially syringes, needles and test strips. If until 31 December patients went to pharmacies to get what they were entitled to and it was the pharmacists who then asked for reimbursement from the Company healthcare, things have changed since the beginning of the year.
To contain costs, the Province and Apss have decided that the tenders for the principals will be made by the Healthcare Company which will then supply the products to the pharmacies.
However, the result was that in the last few days the products supplied by the Apss proved to be insufficient with respect to the demand and that the new software also made available by the Apss to the pharmacies went haywire several times, making the service difficult for those who were at the beyond the counter and for the users themselves.
“Unfortunately things were done very quickly. They called us for the training course for the use of the software on December 29, therefore two days before the system’s departure – he explains Peter Morellipresident of Federfarma of Trentino – . It has been decided that the Apss will tender for the different products and we will simply deliver them. In practice, the patient comes to the pharmacy, through the health card and the computer system we see the aids to which he is entitled and then we order them through Unifarm, where the products purchased from the Aps are deposited. In this way if before the subject had to come to the pharmacy once, now he has to come twice. The collection can take place within the same day or the day after. The problem is the weekend because if a person requests the products on Saturday morning he then receives them on Monday ».
A new mode that has definitely displaced users accustomed in another way. In Trentino there are 25,000 people with diabetes, 5% of the Trentino population. It is understandable that the new system has created some discontent. “We made the trips to be trained and respond adequately to our customers – Morelli points out – the problem was the software and the quantity of products supplied by the Apss was not sufficient”.
In particular, needles and some types of glucometers immediately ran out. Those who could not wait either gave up the checks or had to buy the products. Not a small expense considering that a pack of reactive strips costs around thirty euros and the same a pack of needles. «We understand the need for the Company and the Province to contain costs, but also the inconvenience of patients who now have to come twice at the pharmacy. A necessity that is repeated once a month so if before they came 12 times a year to collect the principals, now they have to come 24 times ».
The choice of products is also limited. «The competition actually includes more winners but a limited number of product types. However, these cover 80% of users. There remains a 20% that will have to change the type of product. We as pharmacies had given our willingness to have at least a minimum stock of these products to avoid inconvenience to patients but we were told no. Now we hope that within a few days the problems will be solved ». In addition to this change, Trentino pharmacies, since January 1, have also “suffered” from the decision of the Province which said no to free Covid swabs.
«Obviously they are waiting for clarifications from Rome but as pharmacies we had given our willingness to continue with the service also negotiating refunds given that the conditions have also changed since the beginning. Instead, they decided not to renew, despite the fact that January and February are quite crucial months. The risk is that people end up not swabbing, thus causing the traceability of the virus to fail. The hope is that there are no recrudescences ».