Estonia, Law and Regulations, Legislation, Markets and Companies, Medicine

The aim is to ensure the availability of pharmacy services in rural areas and to prevent the concentration of pharmacies in cities, which impairs the situation of rural pharmacies.

According to the law, pharmacists will be holders of operating licences of general pharmacies and license restrictions are introduced for issuing an operating permit: a self-employed person must be a pharmacist and work at least in one of his licensed general pharmacy as a manager. With companies, more than 50% of its shares have to belong to a pharmacist, who works in at least one of the licensed pharmacy as a manager.

One pharmacist can be connected to up to four general pharmacies in settlements with a population of 4,000 or more. The number of pharmacies in places with a smaller number of inhabitants is not restricted.

"Giving the lead role in the pharmacy sector to pharmacists who are healthcare workers, should ensure more natural long-term, sustainable development of the pharmacy system, based on the needs of population and the country, rather than driven by business interests," said Social Committee member Aare Heinvee.

The transition period for pharmacists'-owned pharmacy system and separating the ownership relations of medicines retail and wholesale will be five years.

There are around 120 pharmacies in Estonia now that are owned by pharmacists themselves, most of them in smaller towns in rural areas. Altogether there were 506 pharmacies in Estonia as of the start of 2014, the majority of which belong to big foreign pharmacy chains, that are generally not interested in operating pharmacies in rural areas.