Pharmacies closed: Thousands protest in Stuttgart
Thousands of pharmacists from Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg closed their stores on Wednesday. At a central rally in Stuttgart, they protested against the federal government's healthcare policy with a concert of whistles and slogans. They wanted to draw attention once again to what they see as excessive bureaucracy, persistent supply bottlenecks and longstanding underfunding. According to the state pharmacists' associations, emergency pharmacies were open despite the day of protest.
"The economic pressure on pharmacies is increasing and the situation of pharmacies is very tense," said the Chairman of the Bavarian Pharmacists' Association, Hans-Peter Hubmann. "The decline in the number of pharmacies must finally be halted so that future generations can also be supplied with medicines safely, quickly and competently."
Bavarian Health Minister Judith Gerlach (CSU) supports the pharmacists' demands. The fixed surcharges must be increased. A corresponding resolution has been passed by the Conference of Health Ministers and now it is the federal government's turn. "Instead of taking up the legitimate concerns of pharmacists, Federal Health Minister Lauterbach is jeopardizing the tried and tested pharmacist structures in Germany," said Gerlach.
Many pharmacies in western Germany had already closed last Wednesday. The month of protest began on November 5 in Hanover with a central rally for Lower Saxony, Bremen, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Following the rally in Stuttgart, pharmacists also plan to gather in Dresden on November 29, accompanied by closures in Brandenburg, Berlin, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony.
- The protests by pharmacists are driven by concerns over escalating economic pressures, persistent supply chain issues, and long-standing underfunding in the pharmaceutical sector, which they believe impact the health of consumers and the availability of essential medicines.
- The Chairman of the Baden-Württemberg Pharmacists' Association organized demonstrations, accusing the federal government of not addressing these issues and instead imposing excessive bureaucracy and fixed surcharges on pharmacies.
- Pharmaceutical companies and consumers are closely watching these demonstrations as the future of the pharmaceutical industry in Germany could hinge on the government's response to the pharmacists' demands and concerns about medicine supply and affordability.
Source: www.dpa.com
