Abstract The number of pharmacies in Germany has been declining for years. This means that a significant portion of the population can barely reach the nearest pharmacy on foot. While the nearest pharmacy is generally easily accessible by car, the distances to the next but one can be considerable. When evaluating these findings, it must be noted that the legislator has not formulated any tangible definitions regarding the proper supply of medicinal products to the population by pharmacies, which is mandated in the public interest. Applying the provisions of the Postal Services Act as a guide to pharmacy provision, it becomes clear that approximately 900 municipalities that are entitled to a post office branch do not have a local pharmacy. This corresponds to approximately 8% of all municipalities in Germany.
Gail et al. (Sun,) studied this question.