BSW deplores shortage of GPs and calls for remedy

The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) is putting its finger in the wound in view of the shortage of doctors in Saxony. "If there are more than 400 GP vacancies in Saxony, then this is a catastrophic situation. We have the second most expensive healthcare system in the world, but there is a growing shortage of doctors," party leader Sahra Wagenknecht told the German Press Agency. She had asked for figures in the Bundestag.

According to the figures, there were 474 vacancies for registered doctors in Saxony at the end of 2023, including 419 GPs - 174 more than in 2018. There is also an increasing shortage of specialists. Wagenknecht: "Health insurance is becoming more and more expensive, but basic care is getting worse and worse. This is a dramatic development, especially in rural areas and for older people." SPD Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach will go down in the history books as a failed minister of shortages.

BSW calls for more study places and better remuneration

"We need more medical study places, a stronger obligation to set up as a GP and a better remuneration system. This is only possible with a Minister of Health who puts patients at the center of his actions and not the profit interests of the pharmaceutical industry," concluded Wagenknecht.

KV Sachsen complains about bureaucracy and shortcomings in digitalization

The Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Sachsen (KV) saw outpatient medical care in the Free State at risk as early as 2024. More and more GP and specialist practices were on the verge of closing due to deteriorating political conditions, the KV concluded in May 2024. Despite long working hours, there is less and less time for patients. Excessive bureaucracy and immature digitalization measures were cited as reasons.

Bundestag adopts better conditions for GPs

Better conditions for GP practices are now to ensure better care for millions of people in Germany. This is the aim of a law by Lauterbach, which the Bundestag passed on Friday. It regulates financial incentives and simplifications and is also intended to create more time for patients. "Getting an appointment with a GP will finally be much easier again - especially for those with statutory health insurance," promised Lauterbach.

Patient representatives and health insurance companies were skeptical that major improvements would actually be made. For GPs, as with pediatricians, the usual upper limits on remuneration will now be removed. This means that they will certainly be paid for additional work, even if the budget is exhausted. "Every service is paid for" is the motto. This should also make it more attractive for GPs to take on more patients again.