An “innovative” and “unique” solution in France was found in the Alpes-Maritimes, in the Roya valley. A “pharmacy annex” will open in the town of Tende, which has been living without a pharmacy for almost a year.
“Since the closure, pharmaceutical products have been transported by La Poste and the gendarmerie, develops Jean-Pierre Vallasso, mayor of Tende. We worked with the regional health agency, the pharmacist of Breil-sur-Roya, the order of pharmacists and all the local players. The Tende pharmacy has an exemption to be an annex of that of Breil, 20 km from here, which will be the parent pharmacy. »
“We have to innovate”
“This is a first in France, rejoices Jean-Pierre Vassallo. From now on, the recruitment process is formalized. If a pharmacist shows up tomorrow, we open the pharmacy tomorrow.” Since the pharmacy was put up for sale, finding a solution to access medicines was a priority for the mayor and his 2,000 inhabitants. The threats of desertification and isolation weighed on this town in the Roya Valley which was ravaged by storm Alex in October 2020.
Until the end of last summer, access to Tende by road was still complicated. You had to wait for one of the three daily convoys to reach the village or get there with the train des Merveilles. Even today, the RD6204 is punctuated by works. A reality that prompted residents to create the Roya communication channels support committee (CSVCVR). Last week, its members wrote to department officials of their “concern about the state of the road and the continuation of the works”.
Indeed, the natural disaster cut off the Tendasques from the world, even if, “from the day after the storm, we all mobilized to continue to bring the village to life and consolidate the present”, explains the mayor. “The objective was to maintain the activities of the craftsmen, to make the inhabitants stay. We were forced to innovate and the pharmacy is a good illustration of this. Now we are on an upward slope. »
Other ongoing projects
For the elected official, having a pharmacy is an “additional attraction” to make families want to settle down. “Since 2018, we have had a health center in which five doctors and two practitioners from the CHU work”, specifies Jean-Pierre Vassallo.
And for the rest of the businesses, the mayor lists the progress in twenty months. “One kindergarten closed but we opened three. All the schools have been preserved, a crèche is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. He continues: “The convenience store has been taken over, another restaurant will open [sur les cinq ouverts avant la tempête, deux avaient mis les clés sous la porte]. This summer, we will have a swimming pool in the heart of the village and activities every weekend, in particular electric bike routes to discover the surroundings in a different way. He is optimistic for the upcoming summer season.
The arrival of tourists is also one of the reasons why the CSVCVR urges the department to have concrete dates for the end of the work. “The inhabitants have learned to live with the dust, the fires and the constraints linked to the works (for those who have not chosen to leave), however the tourists will be less inclined to spend their holidays in this huge construction site”, is it written in the mail.
Tende, a dissertation topic for students
“In terms of reconstruction too, we have innovated, adds the mayor of Tende. How to redo roads, exploit them while taking into account the risks? Events have made us look at our constituency in a new way. We have become a laboratory of ideas for everyone. There are even students who write dissertations on land use planning, which shows our capacity for resilience. »
Another project is that of the Tende tunnel, which should end in Italy. It resumed at the end of April on the French side and should end in autumn 2023 for full circulation in mid-2025. A link “vital to relaunch the activity of Roya”, recalled Charles-Ange Ginesy, president of the departmental council of the Alpes-Maritimes, and the local elected officials concerned.