At the end of September, those affected by the Bottrop pharmacist scandal demonstrated in Düsseldorf. They accused Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU) of breaking his word because many victims would not receive any compensation in the foreseeable future. An expanded regulation is now emerging.
Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - The state's payments to victims of the Bottrop pharmacist scandal are to be extended to a larger group of people after the protest of those affected. According to the chairman of the health committee in the state parliament, Josef Neumann (SPD), there is agreement between the state parliamentary groups that financial support from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia should also be made possible for the group of around 1,500 victims who were not named in the court judgement. "It is agreed that there can be compensation," Neumann said, referring to this group of people on Thursday of the dpa.
For this second group, the parliamentary groups would jointly develop an application as to what compensation could look like. "Our goal is to make compensation as equal as possible for everyone," explained the committee chairman. The group named in the court ruling can apply for a state financial benefit of EUR 5,000 per person. The fact is, however, that by far not all those who are already entitled to claim have submitted an application. Therefore, the application period for the victims named in the judgment should also be extended. The joint application can probably be submitted to the state parliament at the end of November.
In the case of the Bottrop pharmacist scandal, a pharmacist had underdosed the expensive active ingredients in cancer drugs and thus made enormous profits. The pharmacist had been sentenced to twelve years in prison and a lifelong ban from working by the Essen Regional Court for fraud and violation of the Medicines Act. The state parliament has provided ten million euros for the victims of the Bottrop pharmacist. The payments have so far been limited to the approximately 2,000 victims named in the verdict. According to various sources, there are also around 1,500 to 1,700 other victims. In September, those affected protested in front of the Ministry of Health.
According to the Ministry of Health, 549 applications have been received for the previous regulation. Of these, 337 have been approved or are on the way to approval, said a ministry spokesman for the dpa. This was offset by 212 applications that were rejected or to be rejected. The duration of the extension of the deadline for those currently entitled to claim will be discussed in the parliamentary procedure. "The fairest possible distribution of the remaining funds to other groups of victims will be decided in the course of the parliamentary deliberations that have been initiated," said the spokesman. At the initiative of Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU), there was a discussion with representatives of the Health Committee on Wednesday in the state parliament.
The "Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung" and the WDR had reported that the state of North Rhine-Westphalia was now moving to help those affected by the Bottrop pharmacy scandal.
