German doctors warn against health services at DM

The German Medical Association has warned people in Germany against using health check services offered at branches of the chemist chain, DM.

BÄK warns against DM blood and eye tests

DM is known for its range of toiletries, make-up, cleaning products and health foods. Since August 2025, the chemist chain has also offered eye tests, skin screenings and blood analyses.

The move has prompted criticism from the German Medical Association (BÄK). “Medical diagnostics cannot be done in passing. Measurements taken in drugstores give the impression of certainty, but they only provide isolated snapshots without any medical context,” president Klaus Reinhardt told the Deutsches Ärzteblatt.

Reinhardt explained that a comprehensive medical assessment included considering a patient’s medical history, conducting a physical assessment and weighing up different possible diagnoses.

“Only doctors can interpret findings in their overall context and make medically responsible decisions,” the president added, “Anyone who offers diagnostics bears responsibility, and this simply cannot be fulfilled in a retail store without medical infrastructure.”

Reinhardt calls on gov’t to regulate DM

As he sees DM as incapable of offering thorough enough health test services, Reinhardt called on the German government to introduce new legislation which would “set clear boundaries, consistently regulate such services, and - where necessary - prohibit them entirely”.

In response to the criticism, DM marketing representative Sebastian Bayer told optometry magazine Focus that the company was committed to promoting health and preventative healthcare. 

“[DMs health check services] are about raising awareness among people about their health and offering them easily accessible opportunities to preventive care,” Bayer explained.