How much distribution should be integrated into the health services and how much should be autonomous? At the very least, hospitals must be able to dispense drugs to hospital patients and in emergencies. The dispensing of other useful drugs is not one of the priorities of the health services and may be done by public or private autonomous pharmacies. The “market share” allocated to each depends very largely on the accumulated experience and knowledge of those who manage distribution. The different types of outlet can be evaluated in terms of their accessibility.