Health in Proximity

Pharmacies are part of people's lives, helping to improve the health and quality of life of communities in Portugal.

They are always close to people, both physically and emotionally. They are accessible and welcoming health centres, where each person feels valued and accompanied throughout their health journey. It is from this relationship of proximity and care that trust is born, built every day through a constant and central presence in the communities they accompany.

In a country marked by a high rate of ageing and the growing depopulation of certain territories, pharmacies are the first line of support for the population in the area of health, in collaboration with other health organisations.

The capillarity of the network is a distinctive element of the pharmacy sector and an asset for the National Health Service, since the highly qualified teams, distributed evenly across the country, guarantee the monitoring of people at different stages of life, safe and close access to health technologies and the provision of essential services to ensure healthier communities.

In addition to its capillarity, the network of community pharmacies stands out for its ability to insert itself into the community, as well as its knowledge of the population it serves, so that pharmacies are able to identify, support and refer people at risk and/or in a situation of isolation, whether social or geographical.

In this context, pharmacies also play a crucial role in promoting health literacy and encouraging the adoption of healthy behaviours. Their intervention contributes to a population that is more informed, autonomous and capable of making informed decisions about their health.

In addition, pharmacies play a strategic role in monitoring people living with chronic diseases, ensuring continuity of therapy and promoting adherence to treatment. This regular and close monitoring by qualified health professionals is essential for improving clinical outcomes, preventing complications and reducing pressure on other levels of health care.

This combination of characteristics allows pharmacies to add a unique capacity for intervention in the health system to public health policies, in areas as diverse as vaccination, rapid testing and screening.

In this way, the importance of initiatives that help to alleviate social inequalities and promote fair access to medicines, medical devices and health products has been emphasised across the population.