A significant portion of German citizens insured under the statutory healthcare system are experiencing unacceptable delays in accessing specialist medical care, according to a new survey highlighting systemic failings within the country’s healthcare infrastructure. The poll, conducted by the GKV-Spitzenverband (Federal Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds) among nearly 3,500 patients, reveals that one in four insured individuals face wait times exceeding one month for specialist appointments, with a concerning one in ten enduring delays of over three months.
The survey data, reported by “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, indicates that roughly a third of respondents considered the waiting periods for specialist consultations excessively long, raising serious questions about patient access to timely and necessary treatment. This widespread frustration is fueling calls for urgent reform and placing increased pressure on the governing coalition.
The GKV-Spitzenverband is now advocating for the establishment of a centralized, official online portal to manage specialist appointments. The proposed system would mandate a fixed allocation of appointment slots from all practices – both public and private – to be made available through the platform. A crucial element of this proposal is the demand for equitable treatment of both statutory and private insurance holders within the online system, a point emphasized by Stefanie Stoff-Ahnis, Deputy Chairwoman of the GKV-Spitzenverband, in statements to “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. This highlights underlying concerns about potential disparities in access based on insurance status, a recurring issue within the German healthcare landscape.
The current government, as part of its coalition agreement, is pursuing the implementation of a “primary care physician” referral system. This plan aims to curtail direct access to specialists, requiring patients to obtain a referral from a general practitioner first, with the hope of streamlining appointments and reducing waiting times. While conceptually intended to alleviate the bottleneck, critics question whether this ‘Primärarztsystem’ is a genuine solution, fearing it will simply shift the burden onto primary care physicians and potentially create new layers of unnecessary bureaucracy, further complicating patient pathways. The success of this measure and the potential for a centralized online portal, remains to be seen, but the survey data paints a stark picture of the challenges facing German healthcare access and suggests a significant overhaul is required.