General practitioners in Ellwangen: Urgent deficiency threatens patient care!

General practitioners in Ellwangen: Urgent deficiency threatens patient care!

Rosenberg, Deutschland - In the Ellwanger room, the situation of medical care is worrying. There are currently five general practitioners missing, which is a big challenge for many residents such as Sabine Fischer (name changed). Her seriously ill mother needs medical care after a stroke, but the search for a suitable family doctor was almost hopeless. Fischer turned to numerous practices in Ellwangen and the surrounding area, but found no free capacities. In Schwäbisch Hall, she discovered a general practitioner who, however, could not accept any other patients due to overload. This experience reflects the general problem of health care in rural areas.

The overload of general practitioners and the acute lack of available practices cause patients to be often forced to accept long journey. Fischer therefore reduced her working time to 80 percent to take care of her mother, and finally looked for help from the district administrator, who, however, was also not able to offer the hoped -for support. The medical service was not helpful to the family because it only offered emergency dates. It was only after five weeks, on May 12th, Fischer managed to convey her mother to a practice in Abtsgmünd.

The condition of health care

Medical and nursing care is an essential component of general interest, but in rural areas the availability of health services is often severely restricted. While urban areas have dense care with doctors and clinics, rural regions lack the necessary institutions, which presents the population with enormous challenges. The results of the need planning show that the degree of supply in the Aalen planning area is 95.4 %, while the planning area Ellwangen only offers a cover of 80.3 %. 27.5 household items are required here, but only 22.5 are occupied.

Demographic development also plays a crucial role. Older people who live in rural areas often have a higher burden of illness and need more medical care. In addition, pediatric practices are often economically unacceptable due to the low number of children. Innovative supply models, such as telemedicine and mobile health service providers, are considered necessary to improve medical care in rural regions. Solutions can also be achieved through cooperation between home and specialists and through the promotion of geriatric services.

The lack of general practitioners

The current situation raises the question of how general care in rural areas can be secured. An investigation stated that a future lack of general practitioners in Germany can be expected, since there are increasingly fewer successors. Factors such as unattractive working conditions, lower salaries compared to other specialist groups and the preferred choice of urban jobs by the next medical professionals further tighten the problem.

In order to counteract this development, working conditions for general practitioners must be improved. Measures such as financial incentives, image campaigns and the creation of larger supply facilities have not yet achieved the desired effect. The challenges are clear: health services must be integrated into the general planning of rural areas. This is not only crucial for the quality of life of the population, but also for ensuring a nationwide medical care in the future.

Schwäbische Post reports that there is a high demand for general practitioners in rural regions, but only a limited offer is available stands. The Federal Center for Political Education indicates the urgency to develop innovative concepts for health care in rural areas, while a study The challenges and future perspectives of general practitioners.