HVD welcomes legalization of pain relief

“No patient should be expected to suffer because pharmacies may be closed or difficult to reach and therefore no access to strong painkillers is possible,” says Gita Neumann, Federal Commissioner for Humane Dying in the Humanist Association of Germany (HVD). “It is simply absurd that doctors are committing a criminal offense if they stock the dying for the weekend with painkillers that fall under the Narcotics Act.” In Germany, doctors in private practice face a prison sentence if they give their terminally ill patients strong painkillers in order to survive until the next working day at home, for example. The reason for this is not the penal code, but a dispensing monopoly for pharmacists. Under current law, prescription medication may only be collected from pharmacists, even in an emergency. However, this is often difficult on Sundays and public holidays and in rural areas. Federal Health Minister Daniel Bahr now wants to change this in the pharmacy operating regulations and the narcotics law. “It is fortunate that almost all doctors are unaware that there is currently only a special regulation for hospice residents in the non-inpatient sector. As a result, this overdue pharmacy privilege has been and is constantly being violated,” continues Gita Neumann. The case of palliative care physician Thomas Sitte first attracted public attention a few years ago. The public prosecutor’s office had informed him that they could not refrain from punishing him in the event of a repeat offense. The renowned doctor then closed his practice in protest and turned to the Petitions Committee of the German Bundestag in 2010. This initiative, which was also supported by the HVD with appeals, now appears to have been successful. In Berlin, the HVD runs an inpatient hospice, outpatient hospice services (including one with an intercultural focus) and a coordination and networking center for families with seriously ill children requiring intensive care.