An “unprecedented challenge”: This is what the health advisory board calls the corona pandemic and its effects on the Munich health care system. In a position paper that the committee submitted to the city health committee, the corona measures that have been implemented in the city are analyzed and suggestions are made as to how things can be done better in the future.
The pandemic has shown where “risks and opportunities exist in Munich’s healthcare system,” explains Susanne Herrmann, Deputy Chairwoman of the Health Advisory Board. You want to learn from these experiences. The committee, which advises the city on all healthcare issues, documented the effects of the pandemic until spring 2022 and then summarized all experiences – as a “basis for discussion” for Munich’s specialist public, according to Herrmann.
Some challenges are “big city specific”. A total of 52 clinics have to be coordinated in Munich, including four hospitals with maximum care and two university clinics. In April alone, “as many corona intensive care cases were treated in Munich as in all of Upper Bavaria combined”.
There are other special features of Munich: the airport and the proximity to the border lead to a “high number” of travel movements. Major events such as the European Football Championship, which took place in Munich in the summer of 2021, and the International Motor Show, as well as numerous demonstrations and assemblies, did not make containing the virus any easier.
The pandemic has left its mark on children and young people in particular
The pandemic has left traces “that affect us all: health, socially and economically,” says third mayor Verena Dietl (SPD) – traces such as loneliness, relapses in addiction and especially depression and eating disorders in children and adolescents. According to the position paper, 25 percent of infants also have “more sleep problems”. In many cases, the bond between children and parents has lost stability, and care for children with profound developmental disorders and mental disabilities has “deteriorated”.
The position paper lists measures that could be improved in future pandemics. Politicians are encouraged to “communicate changes that are relevant to the healthcare system at an early stage” – a criticism directed at the federal government. In addition, the transmission of medical data was often unstructured, and the advisory board calls for a “clear” line and greater digitization.
The committee would also like concepts for interdisciplinary cooperation in the field of child protection. For young people in particular, the expansion of “outreach offers from social services” is important, so that youth welfare can be maintained even in times of crisis. Prevention projects in the areas of violence, bullying and psychological stress are also required.