The German Fire Brigade Association (DFV) and the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) have expressed concern about Federal Health Minister - Jens Spahn's plans to reform emergency care.
“Germany has one of the most exemplary rescue service systems in Europe, which many people even envy us for,” said the Presidents of DFV and vfdb, Hartmut Ziebs and Dirk Aschenbrenner, on the sidelines of the DFV Federal Congress on Thursday in Berlin.
This well-rehearsed model - 'To question this would not be justifiable for the safety of the population'. In a letter to the Minister of Health, DFV President Ziebs asked for the project to be reconsidered and encouraged discussions with those involved.
Alliance for Emergency Services
Close cooperation between the statutory health insurance on-call service on the number 116 117
Ziebs and Aschenbrenner also welcomed the initiative of the Lower Saxony District Council, which recently called for the establishment of an 'alliance for emergency services as a state and local authority task'.
“There is undoubtedly a need for optimization in many areas - especially when it comes to appropriate medical care patients outside of normal practice hours," emphasized Aschenbrenner, adding “The emergency services are still often overloaded by calls and operations that are not urgent. In extreme cases, this comes at the expense of acute emergencies and puts an unnecessary burden on the clinics."
In this respect, close cooperation between the statutory health insurance on-call service on the number 116 - 117, which is still not sufficiently well known, and the employees on the number 112, which is only available for emergencies, makes sense. This would have to be done, however, in many cases, the technical and personnel requirements still need to be created.
Shift of responsibilities
“Such changes do not require a change to the Basic Law or a shift of responsibilities from the municipalities to the federal government,” added DFV President Ziebs. It is regrettable that detailed discussions did not take place with everyone responsible for the emergency service before the Health Minister’s initiative.
“If the bill were to be implemented into reality as it is now, our rescue service would be in danger,” concluded Hartmut Ziebs and Dirk Aschenbrenner. It is unimaginable if callers seeking help one day dial the emergency number 112 first 'We would end up in a telephone queue like in a department store instead of a competent and local dispatcher'.
