"The pharmacist we currently have is from Linares de Mora and is returning to her village to run the pharmacy there, but that will leave us without the service here," Puertomingalvo Mayor Manuel Zafón told Aragón Digital. Faced with this situation, the town council wants to find a professional to take over and prevent residents from having to travel to other communities to get their medication. "The pharmacy is a very important service for our village. Most of our population is retired, which is why we are offering the premises and the home free of charge," the mayor said.
The offer includes a building with the pharmacy on the ground floor and the home above it, meaning the future professional could have their business and home in the same place. "It is a large premises with the home upstairs and the business downstairs, all together," Zafón explained. Although there is still time to find a replacement, the aim is for the pharmacy to continue operating when the current pharmacist moves away, a transfer expected at the beginning of next year.
AN ESSENTIAL PHARMACY FOR PUERTOMINGALVO RESIDENTS
Puertomingalvo, in the Gúdar-Javalambre district, has around 140 registered residents, although during the winter months the usual population falls to approximately 100 people. Most residents are retired and, as the mayor explains, not all of them are able to travel: "Seventy-five percent of the population does not have a car and their children do not live here. So traveling to Mosqueruela to the pharmacy will be impossible for them."
Healthcare in the municipality is also limited. Puertomingalvo has a medical clinic visited by a doctor and a nursing professional once a week, while residents must travel to the Mosqueruela health center for other appointments. When patients are unable to travel, they can receive medical care at home. However, this situation has changed over the years. "We used to have a doctor here every day of the week, but when he retired, they eliminated the position," Zafón lamented, explaining that the doctor now only visits on Thursdays. "Small villages are constantly losing services," he added.
Beyond finding someone to fill the vacancy, the town council is looking for a pharmacist who intends to stay. The mayor acknowledges that it is not easy to achieve stability in these positions, as many professionals begin their careers in small communities and eventually move to larger establishments. "We would like a pharmacist to come who could stay for as long as possible, but experience tells us that it is very complicated," he admitted. That is why they welcome anyone interested in the position: "The first person to arrive gets it."
THE FUTURE OF VILLAGES AND THE IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING THEIR SERVICES
The pharmacy's situation also reflects the challenges faced by many small municipalities in Teruel. Keeping businesses such as pharmacies, bakeries and bars open is essential not only to serve residents, but also to prevent villages from gradually losing their activity. In the case of Puertomingalvo, recognized as one of Spain and Aragon's Most Beautiful Villages, tourism has become an important economic driver over the past few decades.
In addition to being mayor, Manuel Zafón has worked in the hospitality industry and has run the Hostal Restaurante Entre Portales since the early 2000s. "When we started, with a rented bar 40 years ago, more people were living in the village, but tourism was practically nonexistent," Zafón recalled.
However, the mayor warns that tourism appeal is not enough if the services that make daily life possible disappear. Many former residents return on weekends and during holidays, but they need to find open businesses and places to meet. "People do not go to a village where there are no services," he said. In this regard, he highlighted the importance of bars as places for social interaction: "You cannot go out for a while to chat with friends at the bar, which is the meeting point. Then that village slowly dies."
Despite the difficulties, Puertomingalvo also has examples that inspire optimism. One is the village bakery, which, after its previous owners retired, has been taken over by a young Romanian couple with two small children. "They are doing a wonderful job," the mayor said, hoping they will remain in the community for many years. The town council now hopes something similar will happen with the pharmacy and that the offer of a free business and home will attract a professional willing to put down roots in the municipality. It is an opportunity that goes beyond practicing a profession in one of Teruel's most beautiful villages: it means helping maintain an essential service for residents and securing the community's future.
