The Community of Madrid has almost 3,000 pharmacies open today, but only 27 are in municipalities with less than 1,000 neighbors. They are, perhaps, the most complex to maintain in terms of business figures, but at the same time they are the most important: the service they provide is vital for the inhabitants of the small peoples, in many cases old They don’t even have a car. Aware of the relevant role that these pharmacy offices play, the Community of Madrid has decided to include these establishments in the line of aid that has designed to favor business survival or the opening of new ones in the localities with less population.
This stimulus plan will receive the approval in the Governing Council this Wednesday after months of procedures to launch it. Will be equipped with 700,000 euros for the current year And initially it was only planned for those responsible for hospitality establishments and businesses such as food stores, hairdressers, services to serve older people or workshops, among others. The maximum amount of the aid that each applicant can receive reaches 10,000 euros for those who start up a new business and the 5,000, for those who are already in operation.
“The function of pharmacies is essential in rural areas,” they explain from the Ministry of Presidency, Justice and Local Administration. The same sources indicate that these premises not only They guarantee access to medications and basic pharmaceutical services Of the Madrid living in the rural environment, they also refer to them as “especially important” in emergency situations or health crises since they can serve as primary care points.
From the department directed by Miguel Ángel García Martín, they remember that this game of aid for shops is one of the vault keys of the regional program ‘villages alive’ containing 13 measures to revitalize municipalities with less than 20,000 inhabitants and that was presented in June 2024 at Batres Castle. Set population, attract new neighbors or boost economic development and tourism, are some of the objectives assigned by the regional executive to the strategy, which also aspires to contribute to the territorial rebalancing of the community and help reinforce public services.
According to the data provided by the Regional Executive, Madrid peoples with less than 1,000 inhabitants That they have an open pharmacy today are: Alameda del Valle, Ambite, Braojos de la Sierra, Tagus Bre Montejo de la Sierra, Olmeda de las Fuentes, Patones, Pezuela de las Torres, Pinilla del Valle, Old Bridges, Redueña, Ribatejada, Rozas de Puerto Real, Santorcaz, Valdaracete, Valdemaqueda, Valdepielagos, Valverde de Alcalá, Vaillamanrique de Tajo and Villavieja del Lozoya.
Pharmacists in charge of each of these offices may be hosted by the new line of aid, whose requirements will be published by the community soon. “We are aware that these populations have needs and deficiencies that we must meet And that is why we want to provide these municipalities with the best infrastructure and services, “says the counselor Miguel Ángel García Martín, which also depends on the local administration area, especially focused this legislature on strengthening the upward population trend of the small towns of The region.
From the community they are convinced of the proper functioning of the recipe that they are applying against depopulation, since they point out, citing data from the National Institute of Statistics corresponding to 2024, which Small locations “are increasingly attractive” for familieswho see in the villages a life opportunity. “Those of less than 2,500 inhabitants have grown more than 13% since 2019 compared to 1% of national growth,” they refer to the Ministry.
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