Health
Doctors and psychotherapists warn of “practice collapse”
Doctors and psychotherapists in private practice fear an acute collapse of the practice. photo
© Soeren Stache/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
Health Minister Lauterbach is planning a major reform in the clinical area – now the medical practitioners are rebelling and demanding more political commitment for their area.
Around 800 resident doctors and psychotherapists warned in Berlin on Friday of a “practice collapse” and called for greater political support for the outpatient sector in medicine. The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) had invited physicians from all over Germany to the meeting, known as the crisis meeting.
KBV boss Andreas Gassen spoke of a first and unmistakable warning sign to the Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD). “German health policy cannot and must not continue like this!” he said. Outpatient care is massively underfunded compared to hospitals. That’s not the whining of top earners, “it’s about the fact that our patient care in the country is under acute threat.”
Is dying slow?
At their meeting, the KBV pointed out the overload in the practices, a lack of staff and a lack of young people, criticized an inadequate digital infrastructure and too much bureaucracy. The practices are threatened with slow death.
Gassen called for an end to budgeting for practices and “sustainable financing”. If politicians are of the opinion that the health insurance companies cannot afford this, then taxpayers’ money would have to be used. There was also a demand for training and further education that would secure the next generation of doctors. Lauterbach was called upon to comment on the demands by September 13th.
According to the KBV, there are around 100,000 practices in Germany with around 185,000 doctors and psychotherapists.