Hello! I hope everyone has a good summer and is having a good start to the new school year! For my last vacation of the summer, I went to Spain! My mom really wanted to go so she could visit her best friend from college. It was SUPER hot with no AC, and I almost died. If you ever go to Europe during the summer bring a handheld fan, it helps a lot. While I was there and walking around the city, I noticed something very interesting. Pharmacies were very common, for example I saw one every few blocks or even multiple on the same street. This made me curious so once I returned from my vacation, I did a little research!  Apparently, the law strictly controls locations and ownerships of pharmacies. The government treats pharmacies as public healthcare services instead of a regular store. They enforce strict spacing and population ratios to make sure everyone gets equal access to medications. Unlike American pharmacies, pharmacies in Spain do not contain food, office supplies etc. They are strictly for medications, baby and beauty products. They are also way more affordable compared to the U.S.  In fact, “Spain one of the least expensive countries in the European Union for medication.” More things I found interesting is that in Spain, most people don’t even bother to claim insurance since medications usually only cost them roughly five euros. Local pharmacies also have the option to get your blood and cholesterol tested. I find all of this very interesting! I think it’s a good thing the Spanish government treats pharmacies as actual public health sources instead of a regular retail store. Also, placing pharmacies in equally close distances also allows for them to be accessible instead of needing to travel multiple streets or across the city to reach one. I really like how accessible pharmacies are in Spain! Even by just making medicine more affordable, I believe it’s making a really big positive impact. I know in America, some of the medications are pretty pricey. Even a bottle of vitamins is roughly $30, which to me is insane. Another example is some small tubes of ointment (and I mean small, probably around half the size of my pinky finger) costing loads of money. For people with limited or small income, especially if they have families, it’s very hard to purchase these necessities. When people are feeling ill and sick, they will pay anything to feel better, which is what I think the pharmacies in America might be taking advantage of since the government does not have strict regulations for it, while in Spain pharmacies are part of public health resources. I hope that in the future the U.S. will catch on and make healthcare more accessible, even at the local pharmacy level. I hope everyone had a good end to their summer and have a decent start to their school year! Please remember to volunteer and help your community when possible!

Here are some sources I used!

Pharmacies in Spain: Everything you need to know – Spain Explained

Everything You Should Know About Spanish Pharmacies – MTS Relocation Spain