Number of pharmacies declining

Increased pharmacy closures in Germany

06/05/2014

The number of pharmacies declined again in 2013. 259 fewer pharmacies than in 2012 were available for patient care last year, according to the News Agency „dpa“ citing the information provided by the Federal Association of German Pharmacists Associations (ABDA).

While the number of pharmacies is declining, there is a contrary trend among pharmacy employees. Their number is according to the „dpa“ increased by nearly 2,000 to approximately 150,700 employees in 2013 - at 20,662 pharmacies overall. In 2004, about 136,800 employees were active in 21,392 pharmacies, according to the news agency. „The figures show that we have a trend towards larger pharmacies that have to supply more and more people“, quotes the „dpa“ the Chairman of the German Pharmacists Association (DAV), Fritz Becker. The consequences of this for the consultation and care of the patients remains open for the time being.

Comprehensive patient care must be guaranteed
According to the DAV chairman, it is important that even with a decreasing number of pharmacies, nationwide patient care close to the place of residence is guaranteed. Especially for people, „who have to take several medications in parallel“, good advice is essential. As a result of demographic change, pharmacies are facing a growing challenge as the number of elderly patients receiving multiple medication will increase significantly in the future. It is unclear how the growing number of patients in need of counseling in ever fewer pharmacies should be handled. In the worst case, coverage gaps in individual regions, as well as a query of the portal „pharmacy adhoc“ confirmed from February.

Significant decline in the number of pharmacies in individual regions
According to the results of the survey, „The Kammer-district Westfalen-Lippe was hit the hardest by pharmacy closures last year“, so the message of the specialist portal. 50 pharmacies (2.4 percent) less than in the previous year were still available here for the care of patients. Similarly high percentage decreases were noted in Saarland and Bremen. Schleswig-Holstein recorded a decline in the number of pharmacies by six. North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Baden-Wuerttemberg each received 27 less pharmacies than the year before. According to the specialist portal, eight pharmacies have closed and three reopened in Hamburg. In Hessen there were twelve new openings at 34 closures. In Bayer, the number of pharmacies fell by 43, and in Rhineland-Palatinate, 15 pharmacies were left on balance, less than the year before.

Number of pharmacies in the new federal states stable
By contrast, development in the new federal states was largely stable and even positive in individual states, reports the subject portal. Three pharmacies were added in Brandenburg and in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, after all, a pharmacy was more than ready for patient care the year before. In Saxony and Berlin, the number of pharmacies decreased by three. Last year in Saxony-Anhalt, the bottom line was two pharmacies less than the year before. Thuringia recorded a more significant decline, where, according to „pharmacy adhoc“ On balance, ten pharmacies were less available.

Threatening bottlenecks in patient care
Pharmacist closures may be extremely detrimental to patient care and counseling. Even now, the consulting service in pharmacies according to a study of „Stiftung Warentest“ often not enough. In particular, about threatening interactions with other drugs is often not adequately informed in the pharmacies according to the Foundation, which can have fatal consequences for the patients. (Fp)

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