GPs complain of massive overload
The flu season has only just started, but GPs are already feeling the strain. A recurring wave of coronavirus and other respiratory illnesses are filling waiting rooms. Health Minister Lauterbach wants to take action right in the new year.
According to the General Practitioners' Association, the high infection figures for acute respiratory diseases are pushing practices to their limits. "We are currently experiencing exactly what we warned about back in the summer," association chairman Markus Beier told Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). "GP surgeries are once again running on empty - even though the flu season hasn't even started yet."
Patients are no longer getting appointments in many places, waiting times are getting longer and longer and there is hardly any time left for the treatment itself, said Beier. This is due to bad political decisions in recent years. The head of the association once again called on Health Minister Karl Lauterbach to hold a crisis summit to ensure GP care. Among other things, a reduction in bureaucracy is needed. "Otherwise, more and more people will simply be left without a GP practice."
Doctors' protest between the years
Lauterbach announced a meeting. "We will hold this crisis summit in January," he wrote on Platform X. Proposals for the necessary debureaucratization and fee reform have been in preparation for months. The Virchowbund der niedergelassenen Ärztinnen und Ärzte announced that thousands of surgeries would remain closed between December 27 and 29 in protest against healthcare policy. "Wherever you look: Almost every doctor's surgery is currently massively overloaded," said chairman Dirk Heinrich. Closed practices are appointing representatives for urgent emergencies.
Corona, colds and flu are clouding the pre-Christmas period in Germany. Last week's report by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) estimated that there were around 7.9 million acute respiratory illnesses (previous report: 7.1 million) across Germany, regardless of visits to the doctor. After corona in particular has dominated for some time, the RKI recently announced the start of the RSV wave (RSV stands for respiratory syncytial virus infections). Flu cases are now also increasing significantly. However, according to the RKI definition, the flu wave triggered by influenza viruses has not yet begun.
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- The Robert Koch Institute reported an estimated 7.9 million acute respiratory illnesses in Germany, including Coronaviruses and the start of the RSV wave, which is causing concern among doctors.
- In response to the massive overload facing medical practices due to Coronaviruses, colds, and the flu, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach announced a crisis summit in January, aiming to address bureaucracy and fee reform.
- Meanwhile, the Virchowbund, an association of general practitioners, announced a protest for December 27-29, expressing their frustration with healthcare policy and the lack of time for doctors due to high patient loads.
Source: www.ntv.de
