France needs 15,000 pharmacists to fill gap

France is facing a shortage of pharmacists and is urgently seeking to recruit 15,000, the head of the country's pharmacy federation said Sunday.

Two-thirds of pharmacies in France face staff shortages, Philippe Bresset, president of the Federation of Pharmaceutical Unions of France (FSPF), told France Inter radio.

He noted that the gap cannot be filled due to a lack of new replacements for retired pharmacists.

Meanwhile, there is also a shortage of 1,100 students in pharmacy faculties across the country, local media reported.

Additionally, hospitals are experiencing a shortage of doctors and nurses due to the COVID-19 outbreak, while pharmacies are also facing difficulty in supplying medicines.