Well-being - Pharmacies are closing at a quick pace.
Germany's pharmacies are struggling to stay alive as an increasing number of them are shutting down. The Federal Association of German Pharmacists' Associations (Abda) reported that about 500 pharmacies closed in the country last year, which is equivalent to the total number of pharmacies in the state of Thuringia. Abda's chairwoman, Gabriele Overwiening, expressed her concern over this issue during a press conference in Berlin. She mentioned that one out of every five pharmacies has closed down in the past 20 years, with an additional 142 closures occurring this year.
The pharmacists' union, Adexa, is also voicing its concerns and is demanding an increase in the unchanged honorarium of €8.35 per prescription drug since 2013. Mark Boehm, a member of the Noventi management board, highlighted the fact that over one pharmacy closes every day, with the total number of pharmacies in Germany being "only" 17,571 as of 2023. Noventi, a pharmacy service provider, manages prescription billing and has 8,000 pharmacies as customers. The owner of Noventi is the association FSA, which is a merger of pharmacies.
Germany is falling behind in terms of the availability of pharmacies for citizens when compared to the European average, according to the pharmacists' association. While the EU has an average of 32 pharmacies per 100,000 people, Germany has only 21. Overwiening believes this poses a significant risk to the health care system.
Andreas May, a member of the Adexa federal board, criticized the situation further, stating that the number of job terminations in the sector is rising. He emphasized that pharmacies need more financial support from the government.
Boehm attributed the closures to purely economic factors, noting that the pharmaceutical sector has been detached from the market conditions for over ten years. However, the issue seems to be more prevalent in urban areas than in rural areas. This, according to him, is because people tend to feel more connected to their neighborhood pharmacist in rural areas rather than resorting to online pharmacies.
Both the pharmacists' association and Noventi are strongly against the plans proposed by the Federal Health Minister, Karl Lauterbach, which involve allowing "pharmacies light" that don't require pharmacists to operate. According to Overwiening, if these plans come into effect, it could put the entire drug supply system of Germany at risk, potentially leaving people who are dependent on specific medications without access to them. This could have severe consequences, especially for those who require sedatives or custom-made drugs.
