Health Department approves permanent first-aid kit for Benifato following the closure of its only pharmacy

The General Directorate of Pharmacy of the Department of Health has admitted for processing the request submitted by the mayor-president of the Benifato City Council (Alicante) for the authorization of a permanent first-aid station (botiquín) in the municipality. The decision, adopted via Resolution of August 31, 2026, is published in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat Valenciana (DOGV) number 10450, dated September 14, 2026, with official reference DOGV-C-2026-28071.

The measure is a response to the closure of the only existing pharmacy office in the municipality, requested by its titular pharmacist. Benifato, a small center in the Marina Baixa region, has 162 registered inhabitants, a figure that justifies the need to guarantee access to medications in the municipality.

A first-aid station to guarantee access to medications

The resolution is based on Article 1 of the Order of June 1, 2000, of the Department of Health, which regulates pharmaceutical first-aid stations in the Valencian Community, and on the provisions of its Article 6. The station will be installed in a premises that the City Council offers for rent at calle del Horno, 1, under the following conditions:

• Monthly rent for the premises: 50.00 euros.
• Public utility costs (water, electricity, and applicable taxes) will be borne entirely by the City Council, included in the monthly fee.
• A minimum of 10 weekly hours of public service, preferably during medical consultation hours.

Deadline and conditions for award

Titular pharmacists of pharmacy offices open to the public in the same pharmaceutical zone (zone 18 of the province of Alicante) or other adjacent zones interested in the award of the first-aid station must submit their application within a maximum period of one month, counting from the day following the publication of the resolution. The application must adhere to the model in the annex of the Order of June 1, 2000, and include the documentation provided for in its Article 6.2, as well as accreditation of the distance between the pharmacy offices and the proposed premises and, where applicable, accreditation of a committed economically viable pharmacy.

The linking of the first-aid station will be carried out in accordance with Article 34 of Law 6/1998, of June 22, on pharmaceutical regulation of the Valencian Community, modified by Law 1/2025, of April 15, on extraordinary measures regarding personnel of the Valencian Health System. Applications may be submitted electronically to the General Registry of the Department of Health (c/ Micer Mascó, 31, Valencia) or through any of the channels specified in Article 16.4 of Law 39/2015, on common administrative procedure.

A response to healthcare depopulation

The resolution, signed by the Director General of Pharmacy, Elena Gras Colomer, represents a step toward preventing the residents of Benifato from losing access to medications following the closure of their only pharmacy. In a municipality of barely 162 inhabitants, the installation of a permanent medicine chest guarantees the basic dispensing of drugs and reinforces healthcare in the Valencian rural environment, a recurring problem in low-population-density areas.

Source: Official Gazette of the Generalitat Valenciana, no. 10450, September 14, 2026, section III (C) Other matters (official reference: DOGV-C-2026-28071).