Romanian Govt Lifts Exception Allowing Opening Of Drugstores In Train Stations, Shopping Centers

Health Minister Attila Cseke said the Government has decided to halt the procedure because urban areas in Romania already have too many drugstores.

"This regulation has been in effect since 2005, and if 39 drugstores were open by exception at that time, in 2010 we've reached 728 drugstores opened using that procedure. From our point of view, most urban areas have enough drugstores and opening more is no longer justified in large shopping centers," said the minister.

The Government also decided the provisions of the pharmacy law, which sets demographic criteria for the opening of new drugstores, will be kept in effect for another two years, until December 31, 2012.

According to the demographic criterion, there should be one drugstore per 4,000 inhabitants in capital Bucharest, one per 3,500 inhabitants in county seats and one per 3,000 inhabitants in other towns.

Cseke said such criteria are used in other 17 EU countries, among which Austria, France, Italy and Spain.

"The current European average is of one drugstore per 3,400 inhabitants and in Romania the average is at 3,100 inhabitants," he said, adding most drugstores are in urban areas and the ministry's interest is to open more in rural areas.

The minister added the number of drugstores in Romania has doubled over the past ten years, from 3,140 in 2000 to 6,902 in 2010.

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