What is Pharmacy?
{{wiktionary}} [[Image:36apteka.jpg|300px|thumb|Modern pharmacy]] [[File:Pharmacy Prague Dlouha st..JPG|300px|thumb|right|modern pharmacy in [[Prague]]]] [[File:Small pharmacy in Kerala.jpg|thumb|Small pharmacy in Kerala]] A '''pharmacy''' is a [[shop]] where [[drug|therapeutic drugs]] are sold. Sometimes a pharmacy is also called a ''drug store or chemist and druggist store''. The people working in a pharmacy are called [[pharmacist]]s, druggist or [[chemist]]s. These people can recognise simple [[diseases]] and dispense [[drug]]s for some of them. Certain drugs are special, because they can be [[addiction|addictive]], or they change the way other drugs act, or they need to be taken in a special way. These drugs cannot simply be bought at a pharmacy. A [[prescription]] is necessary to get them. Medical doctors give out [[prescription]]<nowiki/>s, which can then be used to get the drug. The rules about what can be bought without prescriptions are different in different countries. There are many small local pharmacy shops. There are also pharmacies in most hospitals which deliver drugs for the patients in the hospital. Many pharmacy shops do not sell drugs only. They also sell [[beauty products]] and [[hygiene]]-related products, like [[tampon]]s for women and [[contraception|contraceptives]]. The number of pharmacies in England has been falling. There were 11,500 active pharmacies in 2022— the lowest total since 2015/2016. The number of prescription items given out in 2021/2022 was 1.1 billion, 2.7% more than 2020/2021.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Quinn|first=Helen|title=Community pharmacies at lowest number for seven years, NHS figures show|url=https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/news/community-pharmacies-at-lowest-number-for-seven-years-nhs-figures-show|access-date=2023-02-06|website=The Pharmaceutical Journal|language=en-US}}</ref> A survey by the [[Association of Convenience Stores]] in 2024 found that people thought pharmacies were the most vital local service, with [[Post office|Post Offices]]