Tenerife’s pharmacies to become emergency medicine hubs
The Tenerife Island Council and the Official College of Pharmacists of Tenerife, in collaboration with distribution centers Cofarte and Cofares, are developing a formal agreement. This pact will establish an action protocol to transform the island’s 345 pharmacies into a coordinated network of reference points for receiving and distributing medicines during any emergency. This innovative system will be a vital safety net for residents and visitors alike.
Logistics and coordination for island-wide coverage
The Council has entrusted the task of delivering necessary medical supplies to any point on the island to specialized pharmaceutical logistics companies. According to the Council, this guarantees that the needs of people affected by an evacuation will be met. This plan was the focus of a recent meeting attended by the Councillor for Natural Environment, Sustainability, Security and Emergencies, Blanca Pérez, the Island Director of Security and Emergencies, Iván Martín, and the managers of the Official College of Pharmacists of Tenerife and Cofarte, Marina León and Eduardo Padilla, respectively.
Preparing for volcanic risk with the EU-Modex exercise
The meeting also covered preparations for the EU-Modex Tenerife volcanic risk exercise, scheduled for the week of September 22-28 in Garachico. Both the College of Pharmacists and the pharmaceutical delivery companies will participate. They will be responsible for coordinating the supply and distribution of medicines during the simulation days, which will include evacuations and housing the population in shelters, providing a realistic test of the emergency protocols.
A unique opportunity to improve crisis response
Councillor Blanca Pérez explained that the EU-Modex exercise “is a unique opportunity” to improve the response to a volcanic crisis. “It helps us better prepare for an event of this nature and establish a strategy to cover the needs of the population should it happen. This is why we are meeting with all the agents who could actively participate in public assistance, especially those involved in logistics and supply.” In this sense, she added, “the Official College of Pharmacists of Tenerife, Cofarte and Cofares are entities that can cover an essential part of the assistance needs for a population at risk.”
Testing the network in a real-world scenario
In the Garachico drill, for example, “the three pharmacies in the municipality will become the hubs for distributing medicines previously requested from the logistics centers and will get them to the population simulating an evacuation.” For the councillor, “this is an example of what it means to have a network of 345 pharmacies in Tenerife that, at any time, will be ready to guarantee medicines for people if an emergency occurs.”
Strengthening safety protocols for the future
The Island Director of Security and Emergencies, Iván Martín, stated that “the objective is to guarantee people’s safety, and for that, the ‘Modex’ becomes an opportunity to test protocols and plans. These will later be studied to analyze our strengths and weaknesses and work on them,” ensuring the island is as prepared as possible for any future events.
