German Healthcare Professionals Back Government’s Plan to Introduce Primary Care System
German general practitioners have expressed support for the government’s plan to introduce a primary care system, assuring that they can easily manage an increase in patients in their practices.
According to the chairwoman of the German General Practitioners’ Association, Nicola Buhlinger-Göpfarth, the introduction of the so-called family doctor model would mean an additional two to five patients per day per practice. “And I, as a general practitioner, can promise that: We will make it happen” she said in an interview with Bild newspaper.
Buhlinger-Göpfarth emphasized that patients in a family doctor program are generally better cared for, particularly those with chronic illnesses. “We can show that, for instance, diabetics who participate in a family doctor program have fewer amputations, fewer blindness cases and fewer hospitalizations” she said.
The association’s chairwoman also dismissed concerns that the new system would eliminate the freedom of choice for patients in selecting their doctor. “Patients will still have the freedom to choose their family doctor and their specialist and only not the freedom to choose which specialist group they visit. This will be decided jointly in the family doctor’s practice” she explained.