80 Percent of MV Pharmacies Closed on Monday - Hundreds of German pharmacies shut down in nationwide fee protest
Hundreds of pharmacies across Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will close their doors this Monday as part of a nationwide protest. The shutdown comes after years of stagnant reimbursement rates and rising operational costs, leaving many pharmacists frustrated with the lack of government action.
The protest will see over 80 percent of non-emergency pharmacies in the region shut for the entire day. Emergency services, however, will remain operational to ensure critical care continues. Patients have been advised to delay non-urgent visits until Tuesday, when normal operations are expected to resume.
Pharmacists are demanding an immediate increase in the fixed fee per medication, known as the *Fixum*, which has remained unchanged since 2013. The ABDA, Germany's pharmacy association, has pushed for a flat-rate rise, but health insurers have resisted, proposing instead a system tied to sales volume and regional differences. With around 350 pharmacies in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania alone, the protest highlights their role as a key part of Germany's decentralised medicine supply network. The Pharmacists' Association of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania expects several hundred local professionals to join the demonstration in Berlin. Their message is clear: the government must honour its promise to adjust fees and address the financial strain on pharmacies before the situation worsens.
The protest will disrupt routine pharmacy services across the region, though emergency care remains unaffected. Pharmacists insist that without fee reforms, the financial pressure on local pharmacies will only grow. The outcome of the demonstration could determine whether long-overdue adjustments are finally implemented.
