The proposed cost-cutting measures for German hospitals, recently unveiled by Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU), are failing to address the fundamental imbalances within the healthcare system, according to Nicola Buhlinger-Göpfarth, chair of the German Association of General Practitioners. While acknowledging the short-term stabilization efforts as “welcome” Buhlinger-Göpfarth argues the plan falls far short of the systemic reforms desperately needed to secure the long-term viability of the nation’s healthcare infrastructure.
Speaking to the “Rheinische Post”, Buhlinger-Göpfarth highlighted a stark disparity in resource allocation. General practitioners, responsible for treating 97% of patient cases through outpatient services, consume only 16% of statutory health insurance funds. Conversely, hospital care, responsible for a mere 3% of cases, absorbs more than double that expenditure. This imbalance, she contends, points to a systemic misdirection of resources rather than a simple lack of funding.
“There is sufficient money within the system” Buhlinger-Göpfarth stated, “but it is poorly distributed and frequently used inefficiently”. She criticized Warken’s plan as a “short-term emergency program” warning that without deeper structural changes, the same crisis will inevitably resurface within a year – a recurring issue repeatedly acknowledged by the minister herself.
The call for genuine structural reform underscores a growing political debate regarding the sustainability of Germany’s healthcare model. Critics argue that the current reliance on hospital-centric care is unsustainable and that shifting the focus towards preventative care and primary care physicians is crucial. Buhlinger-Göpfarth’s intervention is likely to intensify pressure on the government to address not only the immediate financial strain on hospitals but also the underlying structural flaws contributing to the instability. Failure to do so, she warns, risks rendering periodic “emergency programs” merely a temporary palliative to a much larger and more complex problem.