More than 170 pharmacies in the Balearic Islands will join the network of centers where they can carry out COVID-19 antigen tests and officially notify the Balearic Health Service of the result. This initiative aims to gain in proximity, accessibility and efficient use of resources. This was explained by the Minister of Health and Consumption, Patricia Gómez, and the president of the College of Pharmacists of the Balearic Islands (COFIB), Antoni Real. Both have signed an agreement for this protocol to be put into operation.

Gómez stressed that the agreement and the established procedures are intended to offer an effective, safe service and that, at all times, it will respect personal data exactly as if the person went to a Health Service point to take the test. “Pharmacists are a very involved group and usually give advice to office users. Therefore, we believe that they will do an extraordinary job, which will ease the burden on other Service professionals,” said the minister.

farmacias test covid mallorca

Through this agreement, users will be able to purchase the test in pharmacies and pharmacists will be able to offer them the possibility of taking the test in their pharmacy to receive professional advice. The pharmacist will instruct the user to do the test correctly on the spot and interpret the result. He will also assess the symptoms and inclusion criteria in the group of vulnerable people through an interview and filling in the fields of a specific form.

It should be noted that, before continuing the procedure, the pharmacist must explain the importance of notifying the result to the health system and offer the user the possibility of having the pharmacy take care of it. For this, the patient will have to sign a consent that authorizes the pharmacy to notify the result of the test.

If the test result is positive

  • The pharmacist will offer advice so that the user correctly complies with the mandatory isolation and will refer you to the covid.ibsalut.es website for more information.
  • It will inform you about the alarm symptoms that require you to contact the health system.
  • It will guide you so that, depending on how it evolves, you can request a health follow-up from the covid.ibsalut.es website.
  • It will generate and deliver a certificate of the positive result at the request of the user.
  • It will guide the user on the procedure to follow to request sick leave, if needed.
  • And it will notify the result of the test to the Health Service through the form hosted on the digital platform developed for this purpose.
  • For its part, the Health Service will notify the result to the General Directorate of Public Health and Participation to facilitate epidemiological surveillance of the pandemic.

If the test result is negative

  • It will indicate to the user that, however, he has to maintain the preventive measures.
  • It will generate and deliver a certificate of the negative result at the request of the user.
  • You will record the information in the pharmacy’s internal management Excel sheet.
  • The result of the test will also be notified to the Health Service using the form.
  • Likewise, the Health Service will notify the result to the General Directorate of Public Health and Participation to facilitate epidemiological surveillance of the pandemic.

Depending on the characteristics of the pharmacy space and the availability of personnel, the pharmacist will be able to establish a time slot and make an appointment to carry out the test at the pharmacy.