Pharmacies in Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg as well as in Brandenburg and Saarland are on strike this Wednesday in protest against fee cuts. They should remain closed from noon, as the Federal Union of German Pharmacist Associations announced on Tuesday. She justified this with upcoming fee cuts. The pharmacies suffered from the current crisis just like many others, explained President Gabriele Regina Overwiening in a statement. “In this situation, the fee should now be reduced. That’s the last straw.” That is why colleagues in the four federal states went on strike on behalf of the profession. The emergency service remains guaranteed.
The association criticized that the pharmacy fee should be reduced by 120 million euros per year from January 2023, despite inflation and rising costs for staff and energy. This follows from the financial reform planned by the federal government to stabilize statutory health insurance. “The pharmacies need relief, not another burden,” explained Overwiening. “The pharmacists are sending a clear signal to the federal government and the Bundestag that a change in policy is urgently needed, even beyond the current austerity law.” The pharmaceutical supply in Germany must be given a stable foundation again.
The Schleswig-Holstein Pharmacists’ Association expects a very active strike participation in the northernmost federal state. An overwhelming majority of the approximately 600 pharmacies in the country will remain closed, said state chairman Hans-Günter Lund of the German Press Agency. The costs for the pharmacies have increased, but the remuneration has not for a long time. Since the beginning of the year, eight pharmacies in the country have closed forever. In a survey, 24 stated that they had to calculate with a sharp pencil in order to make ends meet.
“We assume that almost all pharmacies will close,” said the chairman of the Hamburg pharmacists’ association, Jörn Graue, of the dpa in view of the strikes on Wednesday afternoon in the Hanseatic city. The pharmacies had not received inflation compensation for 20 years, criticized Graue. Many would have to close down in view of the stress at the end of the year. “Ten percent for sure,” said Graue. There are currently 385 pharmacies in Hamburg.
Notice to pharmacists’ associations
