A German Green Party’s Health Policy Spokesperson Warns of Consequences of Compulsory Primary Care System
The German Green Party’s health policy spokesperson, Janosch Dahmen, has expressed concerns over the planned patient management system through general practitioners, as proposed by the Federal Minister of Health, Nina Warken (CDU). According to Dahmen, a compulsory primary care system must not lead to a patient backlog in overburdened general practitioner’s offices.
Dahmen emphasized that the shortage of general practitioners, particularly in rural areas, needs to be addressed before implementing a new system. He suggested that general practitioner’s offices should be strengthened with measures that actually have an impact, such as more time through advance payment schemes instead of quarterly accounting and more support through non-medical practice staff and a connected digital appointment management system.
Dahmen believes that a system that turns doctors into specialists and automatons of referrals is not the right approach. He emphasized that a well-designed primary care system can be very sensible, as shown by the experiences of countries like Denmark and the Netherlands, where a clever general practitioner’s management has improved quality, efficiency and prevented unnecessary medical treatments.
Regarding the term guarantee announced in the coalition agreement, Dahmen is skeptical, calling it a “unserious promise that is hardly likely to be fulfilled.” He argued that ambulatory clinic access is a good thing, but not a guarantee for timely care and that political expectations may not be met in reality.