Many pharmacies in Germany are currently grappling with a range of challenges, including supply shortages, staff shortages, under-funding, excessive bureaucracy and a lack of support from the federal government.
As a result, many will remain closed Wednesday as they participate in a day of strike action to raise awareness of the situation. Bavaria's pharmacy association, to use just one example, expects about 85 percent of pharmacies in the state to join in the protest by shutting their doors.
"For our profession, it is clear: the federal government has provoked this protest day," said Gabriele Regina Overwiening, President of the Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists (ABDA).
"By repeatedly neglecting the problems faced by public pharmacies in their legislative initiatives, the federal government is destabilising medication supply in Germany".
READ ALSO:
- Why are medicines in Germany only available in pharmacies?
- German pediatricians warn over children's medicine shortages
Regional pharmacist associations have been calling for protests as many are concerned about the impending demise of local pharmacies - as they face excessive bureaucracy, stagnant fees despite rising costs and medication bottlenecks. In many areas, local pharmacies have been forced to shut down, and there is a trend towards larger, more profitable establishments.
Pharmacies in Germany are mainly financed by fixed amounts per drug sold. This rate has stood at about €8.35 per drug for a decade, meaning that smaller businesses are seeing inflation drive up their costs with a euro that has less purchasing power than it did ten years ago.
ABDA is calling for the federal government to raise this per drug rate to €12 - an almost 50 percent increase. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has already said there will be no leeway to raise this rate due to the tight upcoming budget.
"Pharmacies have to close every day. Graduates in our field are increasingly unable to envision starting their own businesses, primarily due to the lack of economic prospects. We need to draw attention to this," Overwiening said.
As well as closing their shops, pharmacists are also marching through the government district in Berlin, passing by the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Health.
Pharmacies will reopen Thursday and there aren't currently any plans to stage another walkout. Although pharmacist associations say they could repeat the protest if the Health Ministry doesn't address their concerns.
Stagnating wages
Dr. Hans-Peter Hubmann, Chairman of the German Pharmacists Association (DAV) also pointed out that pharmacists have not received any wage increases in the past ten years despite rising costs and inflation.
"This cannot continue. We urgently need to draw the attention of the public and politicians to our difficult situation....we must show society the importance of pharmacies in healthcare provision and how dramatic it would be if more pharmacies, as reliable and social local points of contact, were to disappear forever".
Where can people get medicines Wednesday?
Many local or regional pharmacy associations still operate an emergency service. Berlin maintains a website where you can find the emergency pharmacy in your district if needed, for example. Some pharmacies will also not be taking part.
With additional reporting by Aaron Burnett
Comments