Developing Pharmacy

in Slovenia:
The role of the
Slovenian Chamber of
Pharmacy
Slovenia joined PGEU in 1996

The First Pharmacies in the

Territory of the Republic of Slovenia
The first community pharmacy in the Republic of Slovenia was
supposedly established in Koper by a pharmacist de Bonvicinis. He
was probably encouraged to open a pharmacy by a greater need for
medicines that aroused from the plague epidemic in 1368 and 1371
in Istria. Historical sources also mention another pharmacist,
Pici de Vicentino.

Modern History

Theres a long history of associating Slovenian pharmacies. Although the

Chamber of Pharmacies ceased to function in 1945, in 1963 Slovenian
pharmacies established the Slovenian Community of Pharmacies out
of the need for an organisation that would link pharmacies and carry
out certain joint tasks, coordinate their work and organisation, and
represent their interests before the state and local authorities and the
health insurance authority. The Community was reorganised in 1971
to Slovenian Association of Pharmacies. Within it pharmacies were
enabled to state their demands for the adoption of a special
pharmacies act, which enabled establishing of privatepharmacies and to
establish the Chamber of Pharmacy. This greatly facilitated the opening of
new pharmacies.

In 1992, the Slovenian Chamber of Pharmacy was established as the

successor of the Association of Pharmacies with the duties such
as representing pharmacy activities in Slovenia, planning and
monitoring traineeship, continuing professional development and
specialisations for pharmacists and exercising professional
supervision with counselling.

Slovenian Chamber of Pharmacy of Today

The trend of the number of community pharmacies The number of pharmacy units and the average number of
(pharmacies of public institutions and private pharmacies) in inhabitants per pharmacy unit in Slovenia
Slovenia between 1939 and 2008 between 1996 and 2008

Pharmacy Units
On 31 December 2008, community pharmacy services were provided by 24 public pharmacy institutions with
167 pharmacies and 33 pharmacy branches, 82 private pharmacies with 10 pharmacy branches, and 2
hospital pharmacies (also providing pharmacy services for public); altogether 294 pharmacy units. On average,
a pharmacy unit supplied 6985 inhabitants. In 2008, the number of inhabitants per pharmacy unit fell below
7000 for the first time.

The number of pharmaceutical professionals in community

pharmacies in Slovenia between 1939 and 2008

Personnel
On 31 December 2008, community pharmacies employed
1.781,5 employees, 1376 of them were pharmaceutical
professionals, of which 906.5 were pharmacists. On
average, each employed pharmacist supplied 2265
inhabitants.

The number of participants in professional training

The Organisation of Continuing Professional

Development
Every year since 2002, the Chamber of Pharmacy
has organised various seminars, workshops and
other forms of continuing professional development
for pharmaceutical professionals.

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