The Chamber of Commerce owners of Pharmaceutical Points and Pharmacies has recently sent a message to the media about extinction of the education of pharmaceutical technicians. As the portal informedwww.rynekaptek.pl, according to representatives of the Chamber "In total confidentiality, consultations on terminating and eliminating pharmaceutical technicians from the market are underway. The slow process of the liquidation of this profession begins in complete silence. "
This statement is just as true as the statements of the president of the chamber, Paweł Klimczak, delivered during the debates of the parliamentary regulation of the pharmaceutical market and the health committee, when he said that patients can not count on pharmaceutical care from pharmacists in Polish pharmacies.
Feigned astonishment?
In fact, it is difficult to pretend to be surprised by plans to quench the education of pharmaceutical technicians, because the draft regulation in this matter appeared in April 2014. He assumed that from the beginning of the 2016/2017 school year, the recruitment of candidates for the first class (for the first semester) of schools providing training in the profession of pharmaceutical technicians will be suspended. As a result, the last recruitment to these schools was to take place in the winter semester in the 2015/2016 school year. - Education in this profession will be carried out until the end of education, so people who start their education before the 2016/2017 school year will be able to complete it and get qualifications to practice. At the same time, people who will be qualified to practice as a pharmaceutical technician will not lose them after completing their education in this profession - informed in mid-2014, then spokesman for the health department, Krzysztof Bąk.
The Defender added that the decision to close the education in the profession of a pharmaceutical technician was preceded by a detailed analysis of the applicable law. An increasing number of pharmaceutical technicians were also taken into account, which translated into the number of unemployed with this education. In the first half of 2013 there were 1617 unemployed pharmaceutical technicians, in the second half of 2013 - 2119. Thus, the profession of pharmaceutical technician belonged to the so-called surplus professions (they belonged to them from 2009). Even the compulsory two-year practice at the pharmacy became problematic.
The issue of the level of technical education was also raised at that time. - The managers of pharmacies have repeatedly appeared in the NIA signaling mistakes made by pharmaceutical technicians at work - added the said Krzysztof Bąk.
Finally, in August 2014, it was decided that the moment of extinction of the education of pharmaceutical technicians will be postponed to the beginning of the school year 2018/2019.
Thousands of women going away?
This proves how bad the room is. Above all, claiming that the cessation of technical education in a very short time will lead to shortages in the labor market. The argument that new technicians are needed is not serious, because the profession is feminized and "thousands of women go away every year to take care of their family". If it were true, there would be no unemployed technicians today - unfortunately, this group is still very numerous. In the first half of 2016 there were 1409 registered unemployed pharmaceutical technicians.
Today's claims and irritation of the chamber would be understandable, for example if the date of commencement of extinction of the education of pharmaceutical technicians was accelerated, but nothing like that happened. In the middle of last year, the Ministry of National Education even informed - in connection with the petition of a group of deputies - that only a Minister of Health could possibly decide to maintain this education. He could, but he did not, which means that the previous decision in this case remains in force. At the same time, the Ministry of Education reminded that its edition was preceded by analyzes and the current and anticipated situation on the labor market, that the decision was supported by experts, professional self-government, representatives of scientific societies and professional associations.
The resort did not request maintenance
The subject returned also later.In November 2016, the website of the Ministry of National Education found information confirming that from the school year 2018/2019 in schools conducting training in the profession of a pharmaceutical technician there will be no recruitment of candidates for the first grade for the first semester. "According to information obtained from the Ministry of Health, activities are currently underway to carry out a re-analysis in the context of the demand for pharmaceutical technicians in the labor market. The decision on the possible restoration of the education opportunities in the profession of a pharmaceutical technician will be taken by the Minister of Health after the end of this analysis, "we read there.
Attached to this information is a slightly earlier letter from the Ministry of Health, which explicitly states that the Ministry of Health did not submit a request to maintain education in the profession of a pharmaceutical technician, and only in connection with planned changes in the education system, asked the Ministry of Education to take into account the specificity of medical vocational training , ie maintaining education in occupations proper for the Minister of Health in its present form, which does not mean a change in the decision on terminating the education of pharmaceutical technicians.
Then the Ministry of Health writes: "restoring education in the abovementioned profession is a separate issue. Please be advised that measures have been taken in the Ministry of Health to carry out a re-analysis in the context of the demand for pharmaceutical technicians in the labor market. As part of these activities regarding the assessment of the demand for pharmaceutical technicians in the health care system, surveys have been sent, among others to pharmaceutical industry enterprises and to pharmaceutical wholesalers to obtain information on the number employed by the aforementioned companies and wholesalers of pharmaceutical technicians and the demand for representatives of this professional group in the coming years. "
Not suddenly, not in secret
Correspondence between the ministries of health and education thus proves several issues. First of all, nothing happens suddenly in this matter. On the contrary, the regulation defining the date of commencement of extinction of pharmacy technicians is known for a long time. Secondly, that the reasons for which the education of technicians was decided to expire should not cease to be valid. Thirdly, the discussion currently taking place on this subject is by no means kept secret.
The thesis that this matter is not secretive is also defended by another issue, invoked by the chamber, namely the publication on the website of the Government Legislation Center of the draft ordinance of the Minister of Education on the classification of vocational education occupations (the draft is dated December 22, 2016; with adoption of the Education Law in December last year). The draft states that "since the school year 2018/2019, there are no recruitment candidates for the first class (for the first semester) in which vocational training in the profession of a pharmaceutical technician is carried out in vocational education schools. Education in this profession leads to the end of the education cycle. The regulation comes into force on September 1, 2017. "
What kind of secret does the chamber mean, if everyone can read the draft regulation, its justification and the comments submitted to it without any problems?
Why educate potential unemployed?
Thus, the Chamber's message can not be regarded as anything more than an attempt to manipulate facts. An unsuccessful attempt, let's add, since the information provided by the room is so easy to verify.
The Chamber, closely cooperating with the Pharmaceutical Technicians Trade Union, wishing to act effectively, should rather look for real arguments for maintaining education in this profession, since it deems it necessary. Well, unless you can not see such arguments. Then, in fact, only manipulation of facts remains. However, the question arises: What for? Why educate next technicians' annuals, if the market is not able to absorb even those technicians who have already completed their education? Why do young people have to gain a profession that does not make them attractive employees in the eyes of potential employers?
