The Federal Ministry of Defence has generally responded to the debate sparked by Defence Forces representatives on the issue of healthcare provision in a crisis situation.
It is the case that, in peacetime, the majority of the Federal Armed Forces’ hospitals are used for training, but also made available to the civilian sector, a ministry spokesperson said in response to a query from the German News Agency on Wednesday. For example, the Berlin Federal Hospital provides a normal, civilian healthcare service. In a conflict situation, the resources and capacities of the Federal Armed Forces would primarily be used to provide care for the military. “That means these would then fall away for the civilian population and possibly other areas as well” the spokesperson said.
Of course, it is important to consider what would happen in this case, as the experiences we are also seeing in Ukraine, for instance, show that we need treatment options for complex injury patterns, the spokesperson said. And it is right and important to think about this in advance, in the sense of a comprehensive national defence. “There is a very close coordination in place.” Besides the Defence Ministry, the Interior and Health Ministries are also involved.
Overall, the question of healthcare provision is a crucial component of the entire security planning. “That is why this discussion is so important.” In relation to calls for more cooperation with civilian institutions, the spokesperson said that a “continuous and close cooperation” takes place in various areas. “Many of our Federal Armed Forces’ hospitals have direct cooperation partners on the spot in the relevant federal state.” And the question of whether one is talking about infrastructure, resources, is a continuous evaluation process.