Emergency practice Schwetzingen: closure decided despite the civil protest!

Emergency practice Schwetzingen: closure decided despite the civil protest!

Schwetzingen, Deutschland - The discussion about the closure of the emergency practice at the GRN Clinic Schwetzingen, which was decided on July 31, makes high waves. Despite protests by citizens, municipalities and general practitioners, the decision was made for the closure. Andre Baumann, member of the Landtag of the Greens, criticizes this step sharply and describes it as a mistake because he is not justified medically and organizationally. "Emergency practice was frequented by around 14,000 patients annually, and the numbers show a steady increase," emphasizes Baumann. The services were also reliably occupied by resident family doctors from the region, which was particularly advantageous in emergencies.

The Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians Baden-Württemberg (KVBW) justifies the closure with the alleged lack of doctors and the need to ensure more efficiency. However, city politicians and community representatives vehemently contradict and emphasize sufficient medical care in the region. In recent years there have been several similar closures of emergency practices in Baden-Württemberg. The SWR last year, various practices concluded, which in the future 17 further plans are on the list.

consequences for patient care

Daniel Born, also a member of the state parliament, warns of the possible consequences of the closure. "We already had similar situations to Buchen, where after the emergency practice was closed, patient flows rose to the clinics," said Born. On weekends, the doctors treated over 1,000 patients last year, and the following year this number rose to over 1,300 - an increase of almost 27 percent. In view of this development, Born fears bottlenecks in the GRN clinic and at the emergency services as soon as the Schwetzingen emergency practice is closed.

The responsible KVBW had assured that these closures would not be at the expense of other facilities. But Born sees it very differently: "The experiences show the opposite. The emergency rooms are already overloaded, and you expect even higher number of patients." Citizens in Schwetzingen have also become active and support a cross -party signature campaign that has now collected over 11,000 votes for the preservation of emergency practice.

criticism and demands

With regard to the closures, the health spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, Florian Wahl, also expressed significant criticism. He describes the closures as a "clear cut" in outpatient care, which should not be accepted. In addition, both patient representatives and politicians such as Michael Preusch from the CDU are calling for Minister of Social Affairs Manfred Lucha to secure the nationwide health care. "Clinics could increasingly be overloaded by the closures if patients can no longer be in emergency practices," warned Preusch.

The debated closure of the Schwetzingen emergency practice is part of a major problem that increasingly affects Baden-Württemberg. With the announced closures and the goal of reorganizing medical care, health policy is under enormous pressure. The coming weeks will show whether it will be possible to take the worries of the citizens and the doctors seriously and to find solutions for the upcoming challenge. The dialogue between those responsible is urgently necessary to ensure patient care sustainably.