Pharmacies in need: Wave of closures threaten supply in the Rhein-Sieg district

The North Rhine Chamber of Pharmacies warns of a dramatic decline in the number of pharmacies that has been going on for 25 years. By the end of 2024, there will be fewer than 2,000 public pharmacies in North Rhine for the first time. In the Rhein-Sieg district, 127 pharmacies have opened their doors so far, which corresponds to a decrease of six pharmacies compared to 2023. While there were still 142 pharmacies in the Rhein-Sieg district at the end of 2014, there were only 140 in 2019.

The development could have a long-term impact on the emergency service of pharmacies, as the current situation shows. Ulrike Jüngel-Sandner, spokeswoman for the pharmacists in the Rhein-Sieg district, emphasizes that more and more pharmacies are having to close because there is a lack of successors. The declining attractiveness of self-employment is cited as the reason for this lack of successors. The consultation fee for medication has also remained constant over the last ten years despite rising inflation.

Emergency service and challenges for pharmacists

The challenges facing pharmacists are increasing; In Eitorf, Jil Crombach takes over the heart and market pharmacy after her father's death and emphasizes the vital importance of medication supply in rural regions, but also sees major hurdles for newcomers. The four pharmacies in Eitorf provided a total of 150 emergency services in 2024. In view of the difficult circumstances, pharmacists have requested that they only have to provide around 100 emergency services in 2025. The legislature considers 20 kilometers to be a reasonable distance to the nearest emergency pharmacy.

Florian Wehrenpfennig, owner of the town hall pharmacy in Sankt Augustin, warns of a further intensification of the wave of pharmacy closures in the region. This situation is in line with the nationwide development, in which the number of pharmacies in Germany is constantly falling. According to a report by apotheken-umschau.de, there were only 17,571 pharmacies left at the end of 2023, and a quarter are at acute risk if there are no reforms to improve the framework conditions.

The ABDA, the Federal Association of Pharmacists, criticizes the fee adjustments that have been postponed in the long term. The fixed fee for prescription drugs has not been increased since 2013, while compensation has only increased by 10 percent in the last ten years, while material and personnel costs have increased significantly. The current challenges, such as delivery bottlenecks and a shortage of skilled workers, are putting additional strain on pharmacies and contributing to uncertainty in the sector.