Final day: Private and Hospital Pharmacy

The final day of the course, we visited Yliopiston apteekki and also the Pharmacy of the University Hospital. Drugs expenditure in Finland is highly regulated. Over-the-counter drugs are always sold with the assistance of a pharmacist, and prices are fixed and regulated by the Authority. Since bio-equivalence studies are compulsory, the pharmacist have to provide the cheaper alternative to the patient, every time it is possible. On the other hand, the hospital pharmacy is also highly regulated and must supply primary care centers and other related health institutions inside its district.
All of this is excellent, because ensure fair prices and prevents abusive practices against patients. Also, the quality of medicines that are provided is ensured. In my country, the pharmacy sector is a business with very poor regulation, with several well-reported cases of collusion between big chains of pharmacies. Also, in Chile, most of the medicines are not covered by the standard health insurances, and this expenses explain more than one third of out-of-pocket payment. I think we need more control over this system.