State-wide day of protest: Bavaria's pharmacies remain closed
On Wednesday, almost all pharmacies in Bavaria are to remain closed in protest. The pharmacists' association is calling for an adjustment of fees and believes that the sector is also at risk due to the plans of Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD).
Lauterbach wants to make it easier to open new pharmacies in regions with a sparse network. In future, pharmacists will no longer have to be on site. The Chairman of the Bavarian Pharmacists' Association, Hans-Peter Hubmann, fears that such "pharmacy-light" pharmacies could squeeze out established pharmacies. "Once structures have been dismantled, they won't come back," he told the German Press Agency in Munich.
Instead, the head of the association called for higher remuneration for pharmacies: "We finally need an inflation adjustment for our fees," said Hubmann. The statutory surcharge per prescription drug had not been increased for more than ten years. In addition, the supply bottlenecks for many medicines were causing pharmacists concern.
Criticism of Lauterbach's plans has also come from the new Minister of Health, Judith Gerlach (CSU). "Instead of addressing the legitimate concerns of pharmacists, Federal Health Minister Lauterbach is jeopardizing the tried-and-tested pharmacist structures in Germany," said Gerlach.
The association expects around 90 percent of the 2820 Bavarian pharmacies to take part in the day of protest. The supply of medicines should therefore be ensured via emergency services. Together with the pharmacists from Baden-Württemberg, the demonstrators are meeting in Stuttgart.
Consumers might be impacted by the potential closure of pharmacies in Bavaria, as they rely on these establishments for obtaining necessary medications. The demonstrations by pharmacists could highlight their concerns about the impact of proposed changes in the pharmacy sector on their revenue and business stability, due to factors such as altered fees and the introduction of "pharmacy-light" pharmacies.
Source: www.dpa.com
