SpiFa demands: Hands off primary medical tasks!

28.04.2022 17:20

The leading association of specialist doctors in Germany (SpiFa) criticizes the traffic light coalition's plans to have flu vaccinations carried out by pharmacies in the future.

“For good reason, vaccination has always been an important part of the medical professional code and standard care and must remain so,” said SpiFa board chairman Dr. Dirk Heinrich. The traffic light coalition's plan would completely ignore the fact that vaccination is not just about giving patients a shot at their own request. “Injecting a vaccine is much more than that. Doctors know their patients and their health history exactly; they alone can better assess vaccination risks and address individual questions. This is exactly what requires a trusting doctor-patient relationship and this in turn requires medical competence. This cannot be replaced by any further training that a pharmacist would have to undergo to qualify,” Heinrich continued.

The deputy chairman of SpiFa Dr. Helmut Weinhart also emphasizes the added value of a vaccination appointment with a doctor: “Even though a vaccination appointment is often the primary reason for visiting a doctor, it offers doctors the opportunity to take a look at their patients and discuss their general state of health with them and, if necessary, to identify and treat health problems at an early stage that may pose a risk of vaccination. This is what sustainable standard health care looks like and only within this framework can and must vaccinations continue to be discussed and carried out.”

SpiFa managing director Robert Schneider warns about the project from a professional policy perspective: “With almost 19,000 pharmacies in Germany, there is no added value for the German healthcare system through this measure. It would be desirable that the coalition parties would finally devote themselves to the big issues and urgently needed reform projects instead of tinkering with classic areas of standard medical care.”