Preparation for Crises - Expert opinion: Health system not crisis-proof
The German healthcare system is, according to the expert council "Health and Resilience" at the Chancellery, not well prepared for future crises. Despite investing extensively in healthcare compared to other countries, people's health is not improving commensurately, the council stated in a statement obtained by the German Press Agency.
Moreover, Germany is facing a demographically challenging situation as the population is aging. At the same time, around 30 percent of healthcare professionals are expected to retire in the next ten years. In addition, health inequalities are increasing. The healthcare system does not provide a sufficient basis "for preparing for crisis situations, disruptions, and shocks," the council concluded. A change of the overall "inefficient, mediocre system" seems necessary.
Preparing Early for Crises
The expert council, consisting of 23 scientists from various disciplines, began its work in March. It succeeded the Corona Expert Council. Among the experts and experts are, for example, the former chairwoman of the German Ethics Council Alena Buyx and the virologist Christian Drosten.
Medicine has made great progress in recent years in innovative therapies and offers new treatment options for serious diseases, said the Charité CEO and chairman of the expert council, Heyo K. Kroemer. This is the goal of scientific developments, but it is also very cost-intensive. Therefore, the question arises as to how future, often expensive innovations can be financed and made available to all affected patient groups in a needs-based manner. "If such a development can no longer be fully financed, the question arises as to which criteria decisions are made," said Kroemer. The council believes that this foreseeable problem should be discussed now.
Thinking Innovatively
To make the healthcare system more efficient and crisis-proof, the council recommends expanding the understanding of innovation. It should not only be about developing new medicines or diagnostic procedures but also about consciously abandoning performances or measures that do not add value. Innovations could also be structural changes or transformations. For example, it has been discussed for a long time whether and which non-medical professional groups could take over certain medical tasks. The restructuring of hospital care is an example.
The German healthcare system has an internationally very high standard, said Kroemer. "With that comes a great responsibility to consider how one can shape the system for future challenges in a resilient way." It is important that politics and science work proactively together and use times without special health challenges, such as the Corona pandemic, to prepare structurally and fundamentally for possible developments.
Scientific political advice like the expert council is helpful in this regard, said Kroemer. The council can build expertise outside of crises and quickly react and provide well-founded recommendations during crises.
The expert council highlighted that the Coronavirus crisis has revealed weaknesses in Germany's healthcare system, suggesting the need for innovation to make it more crisis-proof. Despite Germany's significant investments in healthcare and advanced medical research, the healthcare system's inadequacies in addressing future crises have become evident. The German Press Agency reported that the council emphasized the urgent need to reform the healthcare system to improve its resilience and efficiency.
