Pediatricians complain about massive bottlenecks in the care of sick children and young people: There is already too little penicillin nationwide. They also suggest a flu vaccination starting in infancy.
The Federal Association of Pediatricians and Adolescents (BVKJ) has complained about massive bottlenecks in the care of sick children and young people. There is a nationwide shortage of various medications, including the antibiotic penicillin.
“This is so dangerous because penicillin is the best antibiotic against streptococcal infections,” BVKJ President told the newspapers of the Funke media group. Penicillin has a targeted effect. “If we have to switch to more broad-based antibiotics, we increase the risk of resistance.” There are also currently shortages of salbutamol, an important active ingredient against asthma and chronic lung diseases.
Overburdened by bureaucracy
In addition, doctors’ practices have been overloaded for some time. “30 percent of our work has nothing to do with caring for children – but with unnecessary bureaucracy. If that doesn’t work, we won’t be able to maintain care at the current level,” said Hubmann. “In the past 30 years, far too few pediatricians have been trained, and now the baby boomers are retiring and leaving a huge gap.”
The pediatrician president also complained that many children’s hospitals are still forced to transfer seriously ill children due to overload: “This is now part of the bitter everyday life in winter,” said Hubmann. “We have already gotten used to regularly transporting children from Munich to Garmisch because there are no free beds in Munich anymore.”
As long as there are no fundamental changes to the equipment in children’s hospitals, small waves of infection are enough to reach the limit again.
Call for expansion of vaccination recommendations
Such waves of infection also include the flu. In Hubmann’s opinion, expanding the vaccination recommendation could help to relieve the burden on practices and clinics: “The current vaccination recommendation against influenza is only aimed at children with risk factors. In our opinion, that is wrong.” Even healthy children are often carriers of the flu viruses. “Our goal must be to prevent the spread of the virus through vaccination and thus reduce the burden of the disease for everyone.”
This Tuesday, medical representatives will meet with Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach for a crisis discussion. The main focus should be on the situation of general practitioners and pediatricians.