Almost one in ten pharmacies has closed in the last five years. Experts believe that patients will soon feel the consequences. Meanwhile, a government plan is causing criticism.
Berlin – There are fewer and fewer pharmacies in Germany. Since 2018, around one in ten branches has closed, according to figures from the Federal Association of German Pharmacists (ABDA), which IPPEN.MEDIA In some areas, one in three pharmacies has closed. Patients will soon feel the effects, experts say.
More and more pharmacies are closing: older people and those with chronic illnesses are particularly affected
“The closure of more and more pharmacies can have a significant impact on health care,” says Nicolas Klose, head of Klose Consulting. The company advises pharmacies on issues such as recruiting employees. “In addition, the pharmacy is not only a place to buy medicines, but also an important point of contact for personal advice on health issues,” says Klose.
Medium term the decline in pharmacies could lead to a reduced availability of medicines and an overload of the remaining pharmacies. “This is likely to affect the security of supply, especially for older people and those with chronic illnesses who regularly rely on medication,” says the expert.
Meanwhile, the ABDA is demanding more money for pharmacists. “Pharmacies finally need an increase in their fees, which have been stagnating for more than a decade,” Vice President Mathias Arnold told our editorial team. Support comes from the Federal Chairman of the CDU Senior Citizens’ Union, Fred-Holger Ludwig: “The disadvantage of rural areas due to the demise of pharmacies and the planned pharmacy reform law must not happen like this,” Ludwig warned to IPPEN.MEDIA and holds the government responsible: “The traffic light coalition must finally start thinking about the older population and not govern against them. As the Senior Citizens’ Union, we know that Germany can do more than just a traffic light government.”
Criticism of the “Pharmacy Light” model: “Advice quality limited”
In fact, Karl Lauterbach’s (SPD) Ministry of Health is currently working on a comprehensive pharmacy reform. This will involve adjustments to pharmacy fees, but also so-called “pharmacies light”. The plan: these branches will not have pharmacists, but rather pharmaceutical technical assistants (PTAs). If in doubt, they can consult a qualified pharmacist via video. This is intended to compensate for the shortage of skilled workers.
This has advantages and disadvantages, says pharmacy consultant Klose. “Such pharmacies are more cost-efficient and, in some cases, improve accessibility. But the range of products and the quality of advice will probably be restricted.” In addition, distortions of competition are to be expected, especially if “light pharmacies” are subsidized by the state or exempted from regulations. “This could put traditional pharmacies under further pressure,” believes Klose.
The SPD’s health policy spokeswoman, Heike Baehrens, is convinced of the fundamental reform ideas: “Measures such as reducing bureaucracy and reducing the burden on the one hand and more skills for pharmacists and pharmaceutical technical assistants on the other hand appear to be suitable for improving and ultimately strengthening the economic conditions for pharmacies,” she told this editorial team. She and her party colleagues in the parliamentary group would support the reform, said Baehrens.
Reasons for decline in pharmacies vary greatly from region to region
Paula Piechotta, a Green Party member of the Bundestag and a doctor herself who knows the German pharmacy landscape, points out the importance of providing care in rural areas. The Leipzig resident believes that blaming the federal government for the decline in pharmacies is a simplification: “There are very different regional developments in the decline in pharmacies. Regional factors are very decisive for the development.”
Within the coalition, the FDP is meanwhile attacking the reform plans. “The current drafts of pharmacy reform from the Federal Ministry of Health cannot solve the problems because they want to stabilize the supply at the expense of quality,” says Andrew Ullmann, health policy spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group. The decisive levers are a new remuneration system as well as an expansion and reorganization of pharmaceutical services. “The remuneration must not just be redistributed. Nothing has happened in this area for too long,” says Ullmann. “Substantial changes must be made to improve the supply.” Specifically, he can imagine a fee schedule for pharmacies with a surcharge for pharmaceutical services and public services – “similar to the fee schedule for doctors.”
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