Who does not know that?
Finally, at the weekend or late at night, you have consulted the medical emergency service, the doctor has prescribed an antibiotic or a fever syrup for the children.
But then the question arises as to where the prescription can be redeemed outside of regular opening hours.
In an emergency pharmacy, of course, but these are few and far between in rural areas.
In any case, another way is required, which one would like to save oneself.
In order to ease the situation, the President of the German Medical Association, Klaus Reinhardt, has now made an interesting suggestion.
The doctors in private practice could “justifiably demand that the right to dispense should be assigned to doctors in emergency care under contract doctors”.
This means the authorization that is actually reserved for pharmacies to dispense prescription drugs.
soften borders
If you change the right to dispense for emergency services, it is enough for the doctor to keep a manageable number and quantity of medication.
The opening would also mean a great deal of relief for the sick, said Reinhardt on Wednesday at a press conference at the German Doctors' Conference in Bremen.
The patients could be cared for directly by the doctor.
"Then I don't have to send them all over the city to reach the emergency pharmacy, especially since they are also ill," says Reinhardt, who works as a general practitioner in Bielefeld.
"That would meet the needs of the patients considerably, that would actually be an advantage."
With the suggestion, Reinhardt responded to a journalist's question about what he thought of the idea that pharmacists might also be allowed to administer vaccinations in the future, for example against Covid-19.
Reinhardt thinks that if the boundaries between doctors and pharmacies are blurred, then it is with the right to dispense.
However, pharmacists should not be allowed to vaccinate.
"We see a danger that we'll start allowing people who aren't trained to do healing work," he said.
The thinking is going in the wrong direction.
There are currently not too few vaccination centers, but too few people willing to be vaccinated.
The medical practices were sufficient to look after them: "It is completely unnecessary for pharmacies to vaccinate in Germany because the network of contract doctors' practices is so dense, there are many more contract doctors' offices than pharmacy offices," said the medical president.
"Anyone who comes to my doctor's office has a vaccination in ten minutes, no matter which one they need, even if they show up unannounced."
Reinhardts, on the other hand, would not object if dentists, who already use injections for anesthetics and are trained in emergency care, were given the opportunity to be vaccinated;
however, her interest in it is not great.
However, he spoke out against involving veterinarians in the campaign.
"I can't imagine that with vets, I don't treat dogs or cats either," he said in Bremen.
"I would find it odd for someone with a human medical problem to go to the vet to get vaccinated."