Lack of medication: Lucha sees slight improvements
While many people in the south-west are currently sniffling and coughing, Baden-Württemberg's Health Minister Manne Lucha sees slight improvements in the supply of medicines. "There is positive news regarding the very current supply situation in Baden-Württemberg," said the Green politician in the state parliament in Stuttgart on Wednesday. There are currently sufficient stocks of antipyretics and antibiotics in pharmacies, explained Lucha, referring to information from pharmacy associations in the state. There are still problems with low-dose antibiotics. "Here, too, there are initial signs that things are improving," said Lucha during a debate in the state parliament.
At the end of October, pharmacies warned of a renewed shortage of medication in winter. Following a wave of infections in the fall of 2022, there were massive shortages of children's medicines such as fever and cough syrups. There were also problems with cancer drugs and antibiotics. The German government responded with new regulations. Among other things, the law passed in July makes stocks of several months' worth of frequently used medicines compulsory.
Lucha has long been calling on Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) to do more to combat the shortage of medicines. At a joint meeting at the beginning of September, the federal states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse jointly called on the federal government to take more decisive action against increasing drug shortages in Germany.
The Health Minister of Baden-Württemberg, Manne Lucha, mentioned during a debate in the state parliament that there are initial signs of improvement in the supply of low-dose antibiotics, which have been a concern in the pharmaceutical sector. In light of the past challenges, the German government implemented new regulations, including making stocks of several months' worth of frequently used medicines compulsory, as stated in the passed law in July.
Source: www.dpa.com
