The strike by pharmacists in Valencia has been called off after two days following the receipt of €60 million towards debts owed by the Ministry of Health of Valencia.
The Valencian College of Pharmacies apologised for any inconvenience caused by their action but said it was necessary if they were to continue providing medicines to the public. The pharmacists also state that the delayed payment has put 28 pharmacies in danger of closing and 2 are already in the hands of creditors.
The Valencian government says the transfer of the funds was delayed by nine days due to liquidity problems and was a normal transaction in accordance with the agreement with the College of Pharmacies and not a reaction to the industrial action.
The €60 million payment relates to half of the July bill and the Ministry of Health reported that there is still €350 million owing to the pharmacies. The pharmacists, however, say that the amount owed to them is €550 million as there is also August, September, October and November, plus interest, to be taken into account.