(de-news.net) – A comprehensive draft reform concerning the role of pharmacies has been formally adopted by the Federal Cabinet. The Ministry of Health emphasized that the legislation is designed to reinforce the nationwide presence of local pharmacies, thereby ensuring reliable and equitable access to essential medications and broader medical services. Particular priority is being given to the stabilization of rural facilities, which often face structural disadvantages, and to the reduction of administrative burdens that have long been criticized as excessive.

Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) stressed that local pharmacies constitute a cornerstone of pharmaceutical provision and a vital element of the country’s public health infrastructure. She indicated that the reform is intended not only to secure the financial sustainability of these institutions but also to relieve them of unnecessary bureaucratic obligations. In her view, the professional expertise of pharmacists should be more extensively utilized to create low‑threshold access to health services. International evidence was cited to support this approach, showing that the integration of vaccination services into pharmacies has led to markedly higher immunization rates in several countries.

The proposed ApoVWG contains a number of substantive measures. Among its central provisions are subsidies for partial emergency services in sparsely populated regions, simplified procedures for establishing branch pharmacies, and authorization for pharmacists to administer selected vaccines. Furthermore, under carefully defined conditions, pharmacies would be permitted to dispense certain prescription medications without prior consultation with a physician.