Centrofarm has increased its number of employees by 26% over the last year, to 355 people, after it opened new pharmacies. The shortage of pharmacists is being strongly felt by the main networks, given that around 1,000 specialists graduate from pharmaceutical faculties each year, whilst around 4,900 pharmacies operate in Romania. "It is quite difficult for us to find staff, and pharmacists' wages have increased by 20% over the last year," said Dorin Catana, general manager of Centrofarm Bucuresti. Catana did not specify what the average salary of a pharmacist was, but in the pharmaceutical industry as a whole, the gross average income per specialist stood at over 820 euros last year, according to the PayWell 2006 survey, conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Centrofarm is currently undergoing an expansion process outside Bucharest, which it started this year, and plans to open seven pharmacies in the provinces by the end of December. "My priority at the moment is to oversee the series of new openings, because this is a very important challenge for us. In 2008, we intend to continue the process, depending on the opportunities we have at our disposal," added Dorin Catana.
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