598 thousand packages of medicines (bet of one worth 4.9 million euros). 400,000 people in health poverty who can be helped. 22 thousand volunteers involved. They are some of the data of the 23rd Pharmaceutical Bank Drug Collection Day (developed from 7 to 13 February). I am 1,892 affiliated welfare realities with the Pharmaceutical Bank Foundation. These realities have expressed a requirement of 1,188,758 drugs covered thanks to the GRF at 50.2%.
At the initiative 5,635 pharmacies joined (752 more than the 4,883 of the last edition) in 2,197 municipalities, with the involvement of over 18 thousand pharmacists. The owners of the pharmacies have donated over 840 thousand euros.
Despite the important results – underlines a note from the Banco Farmaceutico Foundation – it is necessary to continue to support the welfare realities that take care of the needy. A poor person has only 9.9 euros available a month for their health (a non-poor person is six times as much, i.e. 66.83 euros). Suffice it to say that for the purchase of medicines, the poor have only 5.85 euros available, the non-poor 26. Due to the high cost of living, even many non-poor families will find it increasingly difficult to bear the costs necessary for treatment.
Furthermore, Banco Farmaceutico is engaged in numerous missions and humanitarian emergencies (eg in Ukraine) and, recently, has received requests for medicines from various institutions and international organizations for the population affected by the earthquake in Syria and Turkey.
«The success of this GRF was due to those who supported us with so much commitment and conviction: first of all the volunteers, the new ones and those faithful over the years who, in addition to making the GRF possible, build the work every day; the pharmacists, whose participation has never been so high and who guaranteed the implementation and credibility of the initiative; our supporting partners, who have contributed in an essential way to the sustainability of the gesture; and, of course, all the citizens who have donated and who have testified to the beauty of gratuitousness with their generosity”, declared Sergio Daniotti, president of the Onlus Pharmaceutical Bank Foundation.
«More than 5,600 pharmacies have participated this year with commitment and with a great spirit of social responsibility in Drug Collection Day, to give concrete help to families in difficulty from a health, social and economic point of view. Just as they respond promptly and effectively to the health needs of the population on a daily basis, in recent days pharmacies have worked to promote a gesture of solidarity in favor of the most fragile and destitute segments of the population, achieving an unprecedented result”, says the president of National Fedefarma, Marco Cossolo.
“Once again this year the Banco Farmaceutico initiative has triggered an extraordinary virtuous circle of solidarity that has seen pharmacists at the forefront of collecting medicines for those who need it most”, he comments Andrea Mandelli, president of the Federation of Italian Pharmacists’ Orders – Fofi. «A heartfelt thanks goes to all the colleagues who have made themselves available, to the volunteers and to the many citizens who, with their solidarity, have made a valuable contribution to helping people in difficulty. The excellent results achieved are a concrete response to health poverty and confirm the close link between pharmacists and the communities in which they operate, an aspect that makes this initiative even more special and our work even more rewarding”.
The GRF was held under the High Patronage of the Presidency of the Republic, with the patronage of Aifa and in collaboration with Cdo Opere Sociali, Federfarma, Fofi, Federchimica Assosalute, Egualia – Industrie Farmaci Accessibili and BFResearch. Intesa Sanpaolo is the Institutional Partner of the initiative. The GRF is realized thanks to the important unconditional contribution of Ibsa Farmaceutici, Teva Italia, EG Stada Group and DHL Supply Chain Italia and the support of Doc Generici, Piam Farmaceutici, Zentiva and Chiapparoli Logistica.
The Collection was supported by Rai for Sustainability – Esg, Mediafriends, La7, Sky for social issues, and Pubblicità Progresso.
Photos from the press office