Healthcare profession - Over a dozen pharmacies vanish daily from the commercial scene.
A prominent pharmacy service provider recently highlighted the decrease in the number of pharmacies across Germany during an action day.
According to Mark Boehm, a member of the management board at Munich-based Noventi, a company that manages companies owned by pharmacies, "around one pharmacy vanishes from the market daily, with a total of 1.36." As for the current number of pharmacies, "Germany had only 17,571 of them in 2023, with an additional 142 shutting down since the beginning of this year." Noventi, which administers the billing of prescriptions, has over 8,000 customers that are all part of the FSA, an organization representing pharmacies.
Germany's Pharmacy Density Compared to Europe
Boehm expressed concern over the worsening pharmacy density in Germany when compared with the rest of Europe. He explained that the closure of pharmacies is primarily due to economic reasons, and that this impact is higher in urban areas since customers are more closely tied to their local pharmacies in rural regions.
Since 1998, the industry has been trying to raise awareness of these concerns during the annual "Pharmacy Day" on June 7th. Boehm proposed that an increase in fees is needed, stating, "Digitalization costs quite a lot for on-site pharmacies, who need to adapt and offer new services." Currently, a pharmacist can bill only €8.35 per prescription drug, and Boehm believes €11 would be more appropriate.
Controversial Plans by Health Minister
Boehm does not approve of Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach's (SPD) plans to enable the operation of pharmacies without pharmacists. "We consider this idea completely unacceptable," Boehm said, believing it could create an unfair disadvantage for larger pharmacies who would have to perform all duties.
The electronic prescription works well for Noventi, as Boehm shared that in April 2024, their E-Recept quota was 72.8%, and about 70% in May. Since the beginning of the year, Noventi has processed over 66 million E-Receipts.
