AOK Nordwest and the Pharmacists' Association conclude a model agreement
22.06.2021 15:49
Flu vaccinations will soon also be available in pharmacies in Westphalia-Lippe. To this end, AOK Nordwest and the Westphalia-Lippe Pharmacists' Association (AVWL) have agreed on a corresponding model project. “We are the first statutory health insurance company in Westphalia-Lippe to offer our insured persons an additional opportunity to be vaccinated against the influenza virus,” says AOK CEO Tom Ackermann.
And AVWL CEO Dr. Klaus Michels adds: “We are pleased that vaccinations will also be possible in many pharmacies in the future. This once again proves the importance of the on-site pharmacy for patient care.”
In Westphalia-Lippe, more than 700 pharmacies could offer flu vaccinations in the future. The model region includes the city of Dortmund, the entire administrative district of Detmold, the Olpe district, the Märkische Kreis and the Hochsauerlandkreis. More than 40 percent of the residents from Westphalia-Lippe live here.
The logistical preparations are already underway. This includes the declarations of membership from pharmacies that would like to take part in the model project and the qualifications of pharmacists. The first vaccinations can be expected at the start of the new flu season. “With our joint model project, we are consistently using the scope that the legislature has given us and at the same time improving the medical care of our insured people,” says Ackermann.
Equipped with the necessary expertise, local pharmacies, alongside doctors' practices, are a patient-oriented and quality-assured contact point for many people to get vaccinated against flu. “The pharmacies do not see themselves as being in competition with the doctors. Rather, experiences from other states and federal states show that vaccination pharmacies primarily reach people who have not previously been vaccinated. “The pharmacies are an additional, uncomplicated option for people to get vaccinated against the viral flu,” said AVWL boss Michels. The common goal of AOK and AVWL is to further increase the vaccination rate of the population in Westphalia-Lippe. According to the Standing Vaccination Commission at the Robert Koch Institute, only 35 percent of the risk group of people over 60 have been vaccinated against influenza.
The Measles Protection Act, which came into force on March 1, 2020, makes it possible to carry out flu vaccinations in pharmacies. The model project runs over a period of three years and is monitored and evaluated according to generally accepted scientific standards.