Barrier-Free Pharmacies: The Federfarma-#IoRampo Agreement

In Italy, for a person with a physical disability or limited mobility, even a daily task like going to the pharmacy can become an obstacle course. Stairs, steps, narrow entrances: architectural barriers that effectively deny a fundamental right, the right to health. A challenge that affects over 3 million citizens, according to estimates, and which clashes with the principles enshrined in the Constitution. UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified by Italy in 2009, which commits States to ensuring full accessibility to all services and spaces open to the public.

A concrete initiative with a strong symbolic impact is moving precisely in this direction: the memorandum of understanding signed between Federfarma and the #IoRampo project, presented to the Chamber of Deputies. The goal is to make pharmacies—the quintessential local healthcare facilities—truly accessible to all, starting with people with mobility disabilities, the elderly, parents with strollers, or anyone with limited mobility, whether temporary or permanent.

The mobile ramp as an immediate solution

The #IoRampo project, developed by the Connessioni Sociali benefit company and sponsored by the Italian Union for the Fight against Muscular Dystrophy (Uildm), proposes a pragmatic solution with a low activation threshold: the installation of approved mobile ramps At the entrances of pharmacies that, due to structural, historical, or urban planning constraints, cannot guarantee easy access with permanent construction work. These simple, safe, and reversible devices literally eliminate the obstacle of steps, allowing everyone to cross the threshold independently and safely.

The initiative, as Minister for Disabilities Alessandra Locatelli emphasized in a video message, "fully complies with the principles of the UN Convention and the Italian reform on disability," embodying the spirit of universal accessibility regulations. This is not merely a compliance measure, but a paradigm shift: transforming accessibility from a technical issue to a shared value, which improves the quality of life for the entire community. For people with disabilities, as Andrea Venuto, president of Connessioni Sociali, pointed out, it means above all regaining the freedom to choose their trusted pharmacy, without being forced to choose based on the presence or absence of barriers.

Beyond the Entrance: Access to Services and the Right to Care

Making a pharmacy accessible doesn't just mean allowing physical entry. Today, pharmacies offer an increasingly wide range of services: from telemedicine to prevention campaigns, from community assistance to pharmacological counseling. Ensuring everyone can benefit from them means protecting the right to equal access to medicines and health, combating inequalities. Accessible pharmacies thus become a crucial hub of a truly inclusive local healthcare network, in line with the objectives of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) and the new structure of local healthcare.

A cultural as well as architectural challenge

The Federfarma-#IoRampo agreement is part of a national context where the battle against architectural barriers is still ongoing. Although legislation (Law 13/1989) has existed for decades, its implementation is often uneven and limited to specific interventions. Poor accessibility affects not only private spaces but many public places, effectively limiting social participation, independence, and, as in this case, access to healthcare. Initiatives like #IoRampo demonstrate that concrete solutions are possible, even while awaiting more complex structural interventions, and contribute to raising public and business management awareness of the issue.

The following also fits into this framework: ACCESS project of Égalité ETS, which promotes the accessibility certification of facilities and services. A systematic and voluntary approach that, through clear guidelines and transparent evaluation, helps businesses improve their accessibility across all aspects (perceptual, cognitive, and motor) and effectively communicate this to users. The pharmacy agreement and projects like ACCESS share the same vision: building a society where inclusion is a measurable quality criterion and a benefit for all.

Towards a more welcoming community

The list of pharmacies that have already joined #IoRampo—from Sollai Pharmacy in Iglesias to Mannazzu Pharmacy in Alghero to Boy Pharmacy in Pirri (Cagliari)—is constantly growing, demonstrating how participation often stems from the individual pharmacist's sensitivity to their community. This journey toward "barrier-free pharmacies" is therefore a concrete step toward putting the principles of the UN Convention into practice and building, day after day, a more equitable and welcoming country. Because healthcare, to be truly such, must be a right accessible to everyone, without obstacles or distinctions.

References

https://www.federfarma.it/Edicola/Comunicati-stampa/16-12-2025-13-35-26.aspx

https://www.iorampo.com

Marta Strinati

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