The Ministry of Health to import two million anti-seasonal flu doses

Head of the National Association of the private Pharmacists Masoud Belambri said that the action taken by the Ministry of Health, which requires that no distribution of the anti-influenza vaccine at the pharmacies will create significant problems in the distribution of the vaccine among the citizens and will put a major obstacle to have it, because of the decision of the Ministry of Health which ordered its distribution only at the hospitals and health centers.  

• The quantity of the anti- seasonal influenza vaccine which was imported by the Ministry of Health will not meet one third of the national demand, as the vaccine is consumed annually by 7 to 8 million people, while the Ministry of Health licensed the importation of the quantity 1 million and 200 thousand dose to 2 million doses.
• The head of the union warned from the looming scarcity of the vaccine, especially since the Ministry had decided days ago to distribute of the vaccine in the level of public hospital clinics and health centers only, which was not significant for people who are looking for it in pharmacies, adding; ” projections indicate that demand will rise because of fears of swine flu, and the distribution of this vaccine was launched in France on 25 September, while it not yet been provided in Algeria.”

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• The spokesman added that the number of the private pharmacists across the country is estimated at 7700 a pharmacist, including the 7000 pharmacies contracted with Social Security, one third of them have Echifaa card readers, which is the equivalent of 2500 pharmacist only, while the total number of beneficiaries of the clients of the Social security Echifaa cards reached across the country since the start of the operation in 2008 one million beneficiaries, out of 7 million insured in Algeria.