General practitioners in Rosenberg: Urgent search for medical care!

General practitioners in Rosenberg: Urgent search for medical care!

Finding a family doctor is becoming a challenge for more and more people in rural regions of Germany. An impressive example is the situation of Sabine Fischer, who is urgently looking for a family doctor for her seriously ill mother after a stroke. Her mother, over 80 years old and living in Rosenberg, no longer has a family doctor because the previous doctor in Friedrichshafen cannot continue to provide care. Fischer contacted numerous practices in Ellwangen and the surrounding area, but did not find any free capacity. She is lucky in Schwäbisch Hall, but the general practitioner there cannot accept any more patients either. This leads to Fischer reducing her working hours to 80 percent in order to be there for her mother.

The situation is alarming. In Ellwangen there is currently a lack of five general practitioners and the level of care is only 80.3%, while in the Aalen planning area a level of care of 95.4% is achieved. To maintain care, 27.5 primary care physicians would be needed, but only 22.5 positions are currently filled. Those responsible in the region have already initiated measures to improve outpatient medical care, including scholarship programs and internships for aspiring doctors. 17 prospective family doctors are currently being trained in the district.

Challenges in healthcare

Medical and nursing care is a central component of public services, which unfortunately is often inadequate in rural regions. The low population density leads to large catchment areas for general practitioners, which means long journeys for patients. Older people who live in rural areas are particularly dependent on care close to home because they often have limited mobility. Outpatient health care is mainly provided by general practitioners and specialists, psychotherapists and outpatient care services, but availability is often not ensured in the long term. In some rural areas, such as in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, 10,500 children and young people live more than 20 kilometers from the nearest pediatrician, which makes their medical care significantly more difficult.

In order to counteract these challenges, innovative solutions are required. Collaborations between different health professions and the use of telemedicine could have a significant impact. In addition, concepts must be developed that ensure better accessibility to medical care. Current demand planning shows that the distribution of doctors should be adapted to the demographic conditions in the regions. The statutory health insurance associations are working to bring more doctors to rural areas through compensation surcharges and regional special features.

In this context, Dr. Sebastian Hock says that many of the older family doctors will be retiring in the coming years. Social change is necessary to make the industry attractive to new doctors and encourage them to settle in their home country.

The integration of medical care into public services planning is crucial in order to overcome the challenges that exist, especially in rural regions. Innovative approaches are not only in demand, but essential to ensure basic medical and nursing care for the population.

In summary, the situation in rural areas such as Ellwangen and Rosenberg is an example of a complex problem that requires both local and national attention. The progress made in recent years is encouraging, but still far from sufficient to ensure comprehensive health care.

For more information about the challenges of healthcare in rural areas and possible solutions, read more at Swabian Post, bpb and KBV.