Brandenburg's doctors are sounding the alarm: demands for recourse for vaccinations!

Brandenburg's doctors are sounding the alarm: demands for recourse for vaccinations!

The discussion about vaccinations and their importance is becoming increasingly explosive in Brandenburg. Today's reports show that the state's contracted doctors are sharply critical of the health insurance companies' claims for recourse for vaccines that have not been vaccinated. This is happening as part of a “Round Table on Vaccination” in Potsdam, at which Carmen Steiniger, the chairwoman of the Brandenburg Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KVBB), also clearly articulated her views. The main problem is that vaccine orders for influenza vaccinations have to be placed in the spring without doctors having a precise estimate of demand for the fall. Steiniger therefore appeals to those responsible to find a solution to the threatened recourse claims, which are putting the named practices in an awkward position.

The challenge is compounded by the declining vaccination rates in Brandenburg. Last flu season, only around 52.2% of people over 60 were vaccinated, which puts the region in third place in a nationwide comparison, behind Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt. This is alarming, especially since the vaccination rate in the 2020/2021 flu season was still 65%. Health Minister Britta Müller explained that the population's declining willingness to vaccinate was largely caused by the uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. An open dialogue is needed to educate citizens about vaccinations and address their concerns.

Vaccine education and vaccination promotion initiatives

Another aspect mentioned by the medical officer Katharina Böhm concerns education. She suggests introducing a subject called “health and life skills” in schools to educate about vaccinations and other important topics. This is particularly important as there are increasing vaccination gaps among school leavers. In addition, Stefan Roßbach-Kurschat from the KVBB calls on the health insurance companies to actively inform those insured - for example through form letter campaigns that are intended to point out upcoming vaccinations.

Gabriela Leyh, the state manager of Barmer in Brandenburg, manages to put the ball in play by emphasizing the central role of doctors. These can make a significant contribution to increasing willingness to vaccinate through targeted vaccination advertising, such as posters in waiting rooms.

The context of the vaccination campaigns in Germany

The situation in Brandenburg is also clear in the context of the nationwide vaccination strategy. The [Robert Koch Institute](https://www.rki.de/DE/Themen/Infection Diseases/Impfen/Impfquoten/VacMap/vacmap.html) has launched the VacMap dashboard to visualize and analyze vaccination events in Germany. It provides a comprehensive picture of the uptake of routine vaccinations, which makes it easier for those involved in vaccination prevention to plan targeted measures to improve vaccination rates.

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, digital recording of vaccinations is of great importance. The Federal Ministry of Health launched the DIM project to motivate all bodies that carry out COVID vaccinations to transmit data to the Robert Koch Institute. This information is crucial to assess the current epidemic situation and analyze the effectiveness of the different vaccines. The data collected is important not only for assessing the population's willingness to be vaccinated, but also for political decisions that influence the strategy to combat the pandemic.

Overall, it is clear that there is an enormous need for information in Brandenburg and beyond in order to ensure willingness to vaccinate in the long term. It remains to be hoped that the measures currently being discussed will soon have an effect.