Health
Associations: Thousands of doctor’s offices remain closed on Monday
The protest by the general practitioners and specialists involved is directed against the policies of Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. photo
© Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa
“We have been bled dry – we can’t do it anymore,” said a doctors’ association and called for a nationwide protest. Thousands of medical practices will remain closed on October 2nd.
Thousands of general practitioners and specialists across Germany want to attend a nationwide meeting on Monday Protest campaign to keep their practices closed. The Virchowbund, as an association of general practitioners and specialists, had called for the campaign, and almost 20 other medical associations and statutory health insurance associations had joined, said a spokesman for the Virchowbund.
It is impossible to say exactly how many practices are not open and where. It is expected that it will be a five-digit number. This means that the “Praxis in Not” campaign is entering a new phase.
According to the information, the protest is directed against the policies of Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD). “It is a clear signal to the health politicians of the traffic light coalition and to Chancellor Olaf Scholz to finally put a stop to Lauterbach’s activities,” said federal chairman Dirk Heinrich, according to the statement. Lauterbach wants to “irretrievably convert the health system towards state medicine” and disregards the interests of practicing doctors. In addition, practices are under great pressure due to inflation, rising energy prices, a shortage of skilled workers and inadequate financing agreements with health insurance companies, the association emphasized.
According to the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, a nationwide emergency and on-call service will be organized on Monday. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the North Rhine Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians pointed out that other local practices wanted to take on outpatient care on a stand-in basis. Patients should pay attention to relevant practice notices and information on the practice answering machines.
The Virchowbund spoke of a “prelude to further protest actions”. Supporters include many professional associations, from ENT doctors to practicing surgeons, orthopedists, ophthalmologists and internists. “We have been bled dry. For 30 years, politicians and health insurance companies have been forcing doctors’ practices to take painful austerity measures. We can no longer do so,” said the call on the Virchowbund homepage.