From 2024 onwards, pharmacies will be allowed to carry out medication analyzes and medical tests. The medical association, on the other hand, is taking to the barricades.
Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) is concerned about breaking the omnipotence of the medical association. And he means it. Now pharmacies are getting more skills to relieve the pressure on doctors’ practices. The Medical Association does not like that at all, especially the controversial chairman of the Medical Association Johannes Steinhart, who is angry about the change in the law.
“We are surprised and also irritated by the approach and insufficient communication of the Pharmacy Act,” Steinhart criticizes. The Chamber of Pharmacists wants to ‘swipe’ the services of doctors. That’s what happened now. The only positive thing is the longer opening hours of the pharmacies. “Everything else is a real problem.”
For example, pharmacists are not sufficiently trained to perform medication analyses. Moreover, they had no further information about the patients such as laboratory values and diseases. Health tests would have no added value if no medical measures could be taken afterwards.
Dispute over health tests
Besides health testing, the biggest point of contention is the expansion of branch pharmacies. In the future, pharmacists will also be able to operate pharmacies with a limited supply and limited opening hours if there are cities in their catchment area without their own pharmacy or medical home pharmacy. The number of branch pharmacies will also be expanded from one to a maximum of three. “This is nothing but an absolute declaration of war and the destruction of medicine cabinets,” Steinhart said.
The medical association bases its concern on the fact that it becomes even more difficult than before to find doctors for small communities if they cannot have a pharmacy there because there is already a branch pharmacy. Minister Rauch cannot understand the doctors’ excitement because “the establishment of a (branch) pharmacy cannot take place if there is already a home pharmacy in the city in question.”
The medical association now wants to try to reach “a level of discussion” with Rauch. At the same time, patients in the ordinations must be informed.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
