Find a pharmacy in Kempen
Kempen is a town of roughly 35,000 residents in the Viersen district of North Rhine-Westphalia, sitting on the Lower Rhine plain between Krefeld and Venlo. PillsCard lists 7 verified pharmacies serving the historic Altstadt and the outlying suburbs of St. Hubert, Tönisberg, and Schmalbroich. The customer base is a mix of long-standing residents, commuters working in the Krefeld–Düsseldorf corridor, and Dutch cross-border shoppers who routinely visit Kempen for pricing differences on OTC products and prescription items. Concentration is heaviest around the Buttermarkt and the medical practices clustered near the Hospital zum Heiligen Geist, with secondary clusters near the E-Center retail zone on the town's western edge.
The market is fragmented and owner-operated — German law caps a pharmacist at four locations, so chains in the Anglo-American sense do not exist. Around the cobbled Altstadt, the Hubertus-Apotheke and Mühlen-Apotheke handle the bulk of central foot traffic, while the Antonius-Apotheke and Thomas-Apotheke serve patients leaving nearby GP and specialist practices. The Apotheke im Arnoldhaus operates alongside the Arnoldhaus seniors' residence and skews toward geriatric medication management and weekly dosette packs. On the western flank, the Bären-Apotheke am E-Center catches grocery traffic and offers extended Saturday hours, while the Concordien-Apotheke holds a steady neighbourhood clientele. None is hospital-tied; the local Heilig-Geist hospital dispenses inpatient medication only.
Pricing & coverage
Prescription medicines dispensed in Germany carry a statutory co-payment of 5–10 EUR per item under GKV (Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung), capped at 2% of gross annual income (1% for chronic patients). OTC items such as ibuprofen 400mg (20 tablets) run roughly 4–7 EUR, a standard cold-and-flu pack 8–12 EUR, and a private-prescription antibiotic course typically 15–30 EUR before any PKV reimbursement. PKV holders pay upfront and submit invoices for full or partial refund per their tariff. The reference pricing system (Festbeträge) is set by the GKV-Spitzenverband; safety and approval data sit with BfArM.
Emergencies & out-of-hours care
Kempen pharmacies participate in the Notdienst rota administered by the Apothekerkammer Nordrhein, meaning one pharmacy in the wider Kempen–Tönisvorst area is always open overnight and on Sundays. The duty pharmacy is posted on every shop's front window and is searchable via aponet.de or by dialling 22833 from a mobile. For acute medical emergencies, call 112 — this routes to the Kreis Viersen rescue service, with serious cases transported to Krefeld's Helios Klinikum or the Heilig-Geist hospital in Kempen itself. The non-urgent medical hotline is 116117.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a Dutch prescription at a Kempen pharmacy?
Yes, EU cross-border prescriptions are accepted under Directive 2011/24/EU, provided the prescription is issued on the European format with the prescriber's full details, the patient's date of birth, and the active substance name rather than a Dutch brand. Kempen pharmacies see this regularly given Venlo is 25 km away. Payment is upfront in EUR; reimbursement is claimed afterwards from the Dutch insurer. Controlled substances (BtM) require a German prescription and cannot be dispensed against a foreign script.
Do Kempen pharmacies stock English-language patient leaflets?
Officially, German law requires the Packungsbeilage (patient information leaflet) to be in German. Most Kempen pharmacists speak working English given proximity to the Dutch border and the Krefeld expat workforce, and several keep printed English summaries for common medicines. For complex regimens, ask the pharmacist to walk through dosing verbally — the Beratungspflicht (consultation duty) under the ApBetrO obliges them to do so without charge.
Is there a pharmacy open on Sundays in Kempen?
Not as a fixed location — instead, one pharmacy in the Kempen-Tönisvorst-Grefrath rota is rostered as the Sonn- und Feiertagsdienst from 09:00 to 09:00 the following day. The roster rotates weekly. Check the notice posted on any pharmacy door, the aponet.de locator, or call 22833. A small Notdienstgebühr of 2.50 EUR applies to prescriptions filled out of hours.
Can pharmacies in Kempen administer vaccinations?
Since 2022, German pharmacies may administer influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations to adults if the pharmacist has completed the required training certified by the Apothekerkammer. Not every Kempen pharmacy offers this — call ahead. Childhood immunisations, travel vaccines requiring yellow-fever clearance, and prescription-only injectables remain with GPs and authorised travel clinics, typically at the Hausarztpraxen around the Buttermarkt.
How are repeat prescriptions handled?
Germany rolled out the E-Rezept nationally in January 2024. Your GP transmits the prescription electronically; you redeem it at any pharmacy by inserting your eGK insurance card or scanning the token in the Gematik app. Paper Muster-16 forms remain valid as a fallback. For chronic medications, ask your GP for a Dauerverordnung, which streamlines reordering. PKV patients continue to receive a blue paper script reimbursed via invoice.
Safety note
This directory is informational only and is not medical advice. Consult a licensed pharmacist or physician for decisions about your individual treatment, dosing, or interactions.