Pharmacies are set to take on a significantly expanded role in Germany’s healthcare system under a new pharmacy reform law approved by the federal cabinet on Wednesday. One of the central aims of the legislation is to make pharmacies more accessible points of care for the public. Under the reform, pharmacists will be allowed to administer additional vaccinations, such as those against tetanus and tick-borne encephalitis (FSME). However, the Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists (ABDA) has criticized the government plans for continuing to provide insufficient financial support.
At present, pharmacists are already permitted to vaccinate adults against influenza and people aged 12 and over against COVID-19. The new law would also allow pharmacies to dispense certain prescription-only medicines without a doctor’s prescription, for example to ensure follow-up treatment for chronic illnesses or in cases of uncomplicated acute conditions. Further elements of the reform are intended to reduce bureaucracy and improve the economic stability of pharmacies, particularly to safeguard pharmaceutical care in rural areas.
To this end, a new subsidy for partial emergency on-call services is planned for rural regions. The establishment of branch pharmacies is also set to become easier. In addition, a pilot project would allow pharmaceutical-technical assistants to manage a pharmacy themselves for up to 20 days per year, provided this is necessary to keep pharmacies operating in rural areas.
“The expertise available in pharmacies should be used much more broadly in the future in order to offer people the lowest possible barriers to care,” said Federal Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU). Experience in other countries showed, she added, “that vaccinations in pharmacies can lead to significantly higher vaccination rates.”
The ABDA said the government’s plans would “not improve the very strained situation of pharmacies.” Contrary to what had been agreed in the coalition agreement, pharmacy remuneration would not be increased. The association pointed out that “due to chronic underfunding,” almost 20 percent of all pharmacies have closed since 2013. At the same time, the ABDA welcomed the fact that pharmacies would be able to offer more healthcare services, such as vaccinations.
The AOK Federal Association also issued a warning, citing “likely follow-up costs” of the reform for statutory health insurance funds, which it said were not transparently outlined in the draft legislation.
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