Eastern Germans Express Significant Dissatisfaction, Says Schwesig
Discontent and Requests on Healthcare Reform, Hydrogen Utilization: The Governors of the Eastern German States Share Concerns with Federal Chancellor Scholz. The Governor of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Manuela Schwesig, voiced significant displeasure - and has specific requests.
Schwesig, an SPD politician, expressed the need for prioritizing Eastern Germany's issues before the East Minister-President Conference in Wittenberg, held in Sachsen-Anhalt with Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The last elections demonstrated an overwhelming sense of dissatisfaction among the Eastern German populace, she said.
A substantial issue for the citizens is universal healthcare coverage. The hospital reform featuring advance payment flat rates is heading in the right direction; however, rural areas must receive greater attention. As case numbers can't match those in urban areas, some treatments might no longer be performed in understaffed hospitals. The Clinicum Neubrandenburg lost care for premature babies, and Rostock's liver transplantation center might face closure.
Schwerin's Governor proposed a reform plan for nursing insurance from her state. Care-dependent individuals and their families need relief, she insisted. A main concern is the securing of specialists. "We must make nursing an attractive choice so that comprehensive care will be possible in the future," she declared.
Saxony's Governor, Michael Kretschmer of the CDU, also demanded financial aid for nursing. Particularly in the Eastern German states, co-payments were causing an increasing burden for care-dependent individuals and their families, he told Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). Since prices are continuing to rise, a reform of the nursing insurance is "long overdue."
According to Kretschmer, care-dependent seniors are frequently turning into social welfare recipients. This situation was "unacceptable," he stressed. Old-age care should not depend on financial circumstances. As a potential solution, Kretschmer suggested the federal budget should cover non-insured services.
The Federal Government must pay more attention to the issues of the working middle class, emphasized Schwesig. "It must create economically favorable conditions, so that well-paying jobs are generated." A significant future area sees her in the production of hydrogen from green electricity. "The Eastern German states are collaborating to ensure that Eastern Germany is adequately considered during the expansion of the hydrogen core network," Schwesig highlighted. "We require both a North-South and a West-East connection."
The meeting between the Eastern German Minister-Presidents and Scholz, which lasted roughly one and a half hours, centered on economic and energy policy, demographic development, as well as comprehensive medical care and the reform of nursing insurance reform. The Governors of Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, Thuringia, Brandenburg, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern desired to discuss these topics further with Scholz.
