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Another helicopter? Responsibility of health insurers

Does Saxony-Anhalt need another rescue helicopter or not? The Ministry of the Interior is open to a review, but believes that other players are required to do so.

Saxony-Anhalt Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang in front of the state reception center for....aussiedlerbote.de
Saxony-Anhalt Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang in front of the state reception center for refugees in Stendal. Photo.aussiedlerbote.de

Ministry - Another helicopter? Responsibility of health insurers

Saxony-Anhalt's Ministry of the Interior has shown itself to be open to a more comprehensive assessment of the rescue service in Saxony-Anhalt and considers the health insurance companies to be primarily responsible. This was announced by the authority of Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang (CDU).

The background to this is a report on the future of the hospital landscape commissioned by the state government. The report recommended examining whether an additional helicopter in the north of the state could significantly improve care, "especially for serious and time-critical illnesses".

The SPD parliamentary group in the state parliament recently criticized the report. The structure must be questioned following the report in Saxony-Anhalt, said Rüdiger Erben, spokesperson for domestic policy. "The Ministry of the Interior, which is responsible for the rescue service, also has a role to play here."

The Ministry of the Interior has now rejected this criticism. The tendering process for the air rescue service had recently been shortened from six to three years in order to be able to react promptly to the results of a corresponding review. "This was agreed in advance with the health insurance companies and employers' liability insurance associations, which bear the costs of the rescue service, i.e. also the air rescue service including the rescue helicopters and therefore also a corresponding assessment," said a spokesperson.

In addition, the Ministry of the Interior believes that the federal government's hospital reform and the associated changes to emergency and acute treatment must be awaited. This could have a significant impact on the hospital landscape in Saxony-Anhalt, it said. "So far, these results are not known, so that an assessment by the health insurance funds could not (yet) be commissioned." Even if the focus has so far been on the north of the state, "the other areas of the state will also play a role with regard to the further effects of the hospital reform."

The Association of Substitute Health Insurance Funds recently announced that the distribution of air rescue locations in Saxony-Anhalt was "appropriate and sufficient". In addition, the north of Saxony-Anhalt is also served by locations in Brandenburg, Perleberg, Uelzen and Wolfenbüttel. 97 to 100 percent of the population would be reached within a maximum of 15 minutes, it said. "In our opinion, that is sufficient."

Three rescue helicopters are currently available for air rescue in Saxony-Anhalt: One each in Magdeburg and Landsberg for emergencies, and a further helicopter in Landsberg, which is also used for transfers.

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Source: www.stern.de

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