German pharmacists declare war on health minister over funding cuts
One thing is clear: "The political honeymoon period for the Black-Red coalition is long over," Thomas Preis declared at this year's Future Congress for Public Pharmacies. Now, he said, it's all about delivering results and implementing the coalition agreement—"without ifs or buts."
In his opening remarks, Preis referred to the upcoming ABDA members' meeting: "We must now work together to turn what's been set out in the coalition agreement into reality with policymakers," he reiterated. He highlighted the need to raise the fixed fee to €9.50 and secure a reasonable negotiating solution that guarantees annual adjustments. "We can't afford to be cut off again from rising costs the moment we make progress."
He also took a firm stance on pharmacy technician representation: "We will not allow 'pharmacies without pharmacists'—period," he emphasized.
Preis described the minister as an important and reliable partner in dialogue. However, he noted, she is just as reliably insistent that pharmacies should take on more responsibility—more vaccinations, more pharmaceutical services (pDL), and better compensation for night shifts. Yet when it comes to higher fees, "there's simply no money right now."
Lauterbach Redux
Preis criticized elements of Warken's draft that echo her predecessor's proposals—"and the biggest issue is pharmacies without pharmacists. That's been reheated word for word." He noted that ABDA had submitted over 40 points for revision, while the Bundesrat had raised more than 30, yet "the Ministry of Health flat-out rejected them." A few minor or pending issues were acknowledged, but the core demands—fee increases, pharmacy technician representation, and branch pharmacies—were dismissed. "That's where we need corrections. And that's our clear resolve."
"Every Other Healthcare Profession Negotiates Annually"
Preis stressed that raising the fixed fee isn't a favor—it's a necessity: "Pharmacies have fought for over a decade for what they're rightfully owed. Every other sector in healthcare negotiates yearly adjustments. And that's as it should be: we want medical practices to thrive economically, we want hospitals to stay afloat. But we, too, have the right to adjust our fees."
He recalled last September's German Pharmacists' Day in Düsseldorf, where Warken had announced there would be no fee increase for the time being. The very next day, doctors secured an agreement with health insurers for higher pay. The physicians' fee adjustment alone will cost the healthcare system an extra €1.3 billion, while raising the pharmacy fixed fee from €8.35 to €9.50 would amount to roughly €950 million. "The money is there in the system—and it must now also be there for public pharmacies' medication supply."
Preis Promises "Massive Action"
In late January, ABDA declared a "Spring of Protest" in response to political developments. "The timing was right, because now the political debate begins. We have the Bundesrat. The first reading is set for late February, and we will accompany this with very robust measures," Preis pledged.
This includes a public petition for citizens to support. But he also called on all 16,000 pharmacies and their staff to back the campaign.
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