Toulouse: the pharmacist of the Jean-Jaurès district hands over after 50 years of serving others
Jean Carme, pharmacist at the Grands Boulevards dispensary, is leaving after fifty years of providing services to customers. His colleagues and clients pay tribute to him.
Jean Carme, this pharmacist who for fifty years held the Grands-Boulevards pharmacy, after that of Allées Jean-Jaurès, has just left his post on June 30 at the age of 79.
For his departure, this pharmacist received many tributes from the neighborhood for the many services rendered, well beyond his duties. “He started at the age of 20, recalls Christine Estebe, pharmacy preparer, for thirty-eight years by his side. It was more than an employer. From the start, he trusted me. He is part of my family. Besides, for his 60th birthday, we organized a trip to New York with his friends. That’s why I wanted to pay homage to him. I learned a lot with him including Arabic! »
“Jean Carme: a humanist before being a merchant”
A native of Algeria, where he began his studies as a pharmacist, Jean Carme arrived in Toulouse in the 1960s where he completed his studies. “He put his knowledge of the Arabic language at the service of North African clients, especially elderly ones, who spoke French very badly and who often found themselves lost in the administrative jumble. Especially with computers. He reported, took care of prescriptions, introduced them to a doctor, etc. A real father for them! Even today, the day of his departure, he gave his cell phone to several of them to continue to help them if necessary”.
According to Christine, for him, the customer was first and foremost a patient. Another testimony, that of Estelle Vallette-Haribe, since seized and client of this pharmacy: “Jean Carme was a neighborhood pharmacist who knew how to troubleshoot. You forgot your prescription, you had an asthma attack, you fell on the road… He was there. A humanist before being a merchant”.
Passionate about African art and a lover of Soulage’s paintings, Jean Carme is heading for a new life. Where certainly, his benevolence will be there.
At the end of December 2022, the Boulevard Carnot pharmacy will close permanently. Bought by a group, it should settle, after authorization from the Order of Pharmacists, Espace Saint-Georges on a surface of 450 m². Farewell to the neighborhood pharmacy!