Available Medicines: The Government Has Changed the Conditions for Opening Pharmacies in Villages.

The Government of Ukraine has changed the conditions for obtaining licenses to open pharmacies in rural areas. According to the new conditions, it is no longer necessary to conduct complex renovations in the premises to open a pharmacy. It is sufficient to simply zone the space, allowing entrepreneurs to find premises at a lower price or rent.

The requirements for pharmacies in small towns have been updated, reducing the minimum area of the sales room from 13.5 m² to 11 m². The requirements for the total area will remain unchanged at 30 m².

Changes have also been made for pharmacies in villages. Now the pharmacy premises can be zoned into a sales area of at least 6 m², and the requirements for separate rooms for storing medicines and staff rooms have been removed.

The Ministry of Health hopes that these changes will help open more pharmacies in remote settlements, providing people with access to medicines. Currently, only 11% of villages in Ukraine have pharmacies, making it difficult for residents to access medical supplies.