In an emotional Facebook post that has moved many people in Germany since May 2023, a man describes the harrowing odyssey that he and his seriously ill father had to experience through various clinics and doctors' offices in order to receive medical help. This post reflects deep despair and frustration with the current healthcare system and has sparked a heated debate about the state of medical care in Germany. This can also be seen in the interaction, because currently (August 4, 2023) over 7,000 users have liked the post, over 4,000 have commented and over 38,000 users have even shared the post!

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Screenshot: Facebook / public status post

But is the healthcare system in Germany actually as sick as it seems?

The heart of the problem

In the heart of the country, in tranquil Montabaur (Montabaur is the district town of the Westerwald district in Rhineland-Palatinate), a sobering picture of our health care emerged. It began at the Brothers of Mercy Hospital , a place that offers its patients not only medical care but also compassion and humanity.

A tragedy occurred here that can be seen as a wake-up call for the German healthcare system. A heart patient, diabetic and cancer patient with alarmingly poor blood values ​​urgently needed the help of a pulmonologist. However, despite the obvious urgency of his condition and his son's tireless efforts, he encountered closed doors and a seeming indifference from the healthcare system.

The Hospital of the Brothers of Mercy Montabaur is not responsible for this. The hospital staff, who do their best every day to care for and care for patients, are just as victims of this system as the patients themselves. The real problem lies deep in the structures of our healthcare system and the way it is run we organize and prioritize healthcare in Germany.

The real tragedy is that despite the high quality and technical resources of our healthcare system, those who need urgent medical attention sometimes feel like they are supplicants rather than recipients of much-needed medical help. This is a wake-up call that affects us all, asking us to look deeper to identify and address the real challenges and shortcomings of our healthcare system.

An emergency becomes a supplicant

The family doctor tried several times in vain to reach the Dernbach hospital and the pulmonary department there. Nevertheless, the son goes to the emergency room with his father, only to be offered an appointment for the next week after hours of waiting and confusion. A grotesque situation in which an emergency patient becomes a beggar for medical help.

The relentless search for help

The desperate search finally led her to another pulmonologist in Montabaur. But they encountered similar barriers there too. Despite the “EMERGENCY” note, the receptionist wanted to make an appointment. After a heated discussion, the patient finally managed to see a doctor, but he also had difficulty getting an admission appointment at the Montabaur Hospital.

No bed available!

They finally reached the hospital in Montabaur, only to learn that there was no bed available. After a long and frustrating day in which the physical and emotional strain became unbearable, the odyssey ended in uncertainty and waiting.

What went wrong?

This painful story is not only an indictment of the healthcare system, but also a sad testimony to its deep problems. The call for urgent reform and change is unmistakable. Some of the most pressing issues are

Lack of hospital beds: Over the last 30 years, the number of hospital beds in Germany has fallen by around a third . This has a direct impact on the treatment of emergencies, which often cannot be accommodated and rely on free capacity in other clinics. In 1991 there were still around 665,500 beds in Germany, in 2021 there were only around 483,600.

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Screenshot and source: Source: Federal Statistical Office

Time delays: Overloading hospitals leads to significant delays in treatment and thus to medical risks.

Distance from home: Patients are often in clinics far away from where they live, which represents an additional burden for them and their relatives.

demands on politics

The story of this man and his father sends a strong signal to those responsible for politics. She makes serious allegations and calls on politicians to urgently reform our health system. It is time to stop ignoring or sitting out the grievances. It is time to act boldly and decisively.

In short: Hospital reform 2023

On July 10, 2023, the federal and state governments agreed on the key points for a comprehensive hospital reform. This result will be the basis for the draft bill drawn up during the parliamentary summer break and the law is scheduled to come into force on January 1, 2024.

The reform has three main goals: de-economization, improving the quality of treatment and reducing bureaucracy in the system. Another important concern is ensuring security of supply.

The current system of flat-rate payments has put hospitals under considerable economic pressure, meaning many are at risk of closure. The reform therefore plans to grant so-called reserve allowances to necessary clinics. This is a kind of guarantee of existence that is granted regardless of the number of treatments offered.

As a result, the quality, not the quantity, of care will determine. This gives hospitals a chance of survival and ensures patients receive necessary, high-quality treatments.

Another important measure is the planned federal transparency law, which gives patients the right to know which services a hospital offers and in what quality. This transparency offensive is scheduled to begin on January 1, 2024.

Without reform, many hospitals will have to file for bankruptcy. The reform will give them new perspectives, said Federal Health Minister Prof. Karl Lauterbach. ( Source )

Conclusion

The German health system may have weaknesses and there is definitely a need for reform . But it is up to us to lead the discussion, question it and actively look for solutions. This is the only way we can prevent more people like the man and his father from having to desperately look for medical help in Montabaur. It is time to rebuild the German healthcare system that we need and deserve.

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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )