“A worrying phenomenon”, 366 attacks declared in pharmacies in 2022

The National Order of Pharmacists recorded 366 attacks declared in 2022, or “on average one pharmacist attacked every day in France”, pointing to a “worrying phenomenon”, in a report consulted on Sunday by AFP. In this annual report on the safety of pharmacists, which lists the declarations of aggression of professionals on the form of the Order, the organization reports 366 attacks (verbal, physical or theft), including 14 overseas.

In detail, it reports 355 declarations of attacks in pharmacies, 6 in medical biology laboratories and 5 in pharmacies for internal use (PUI). “If the peak of 600 attacks declared in the context of the health crisis is tending to subside, the data nevertheless reflect an increase of 17% compared to 2019”, before the pandemic, notes the Order in a press release.

The majority of assaults suffered are not serious

In pharmacies, “verbal and physical violence represent 70% of declarations, of which nearly 8% are still linked to the health crisis (wearing a mask, vaccination, antigenic tests)”, specifies the Order. In 2021, the share of attacks linked to Covid was 28%. Verbal and physical violence is “mainly linked to a refusal of dispensation”, adds the report, which specifies that the majority of the attacks suffered are not serious (95.8%).

And “this phenomenon of insecurity affects the whole of the national territory as evidenced by the 30% of attacks in pharmacies located in municipalities of less than 5,000 inhabitants”. The Order “strongly urges pharmacists who are victims of any type of attack to file a complaint”, noting that “again this year, 44% of declaring pharmacists do not file a complaint, in particular for lack of time, fear of reprisals or considering that it is not necessary”.