Red alert: Specialists leave Sonneberg – danger to stroke patients!

Red alert: Specialists leave Sonneberg – danger to stroke patients!

Medical care in Germany faces challenges, especially in the area of ​​stroke treatment. How in southern Thuringia reports, experts fear that the care of stroke patients at the Sonneberg Hospital could be at great risk in the near future. The reason: Two specialists who were employed there are moving to Coburg, which will lead to a personnel shortage that, according to an employee of the district-owned company, could occur this month.

One of the most pressing issues in medical care is time. Especially when it comes to strokes, minutes make the difference between life and death. The Science Media Center points out that patients should be at the hospital within a maximum of one hour of receiving the emergency call, whereas the journey time should ideally be no more than 30 minutes. These time limits are crucial because treatment in special stroke units significantly reduces the risk of death and improves patients' quality of life.

The role of the stroke units

There are currently 476 stroke units in Germany, 349 of which are certified. However, data shows that not all patients are treated there. A 2020 survey found that up to 25% of stroke patients were cared for in clinics without these specialized units, which is alarming. Particularly in rural areas, long travel times can mean that patients do not receive the treatment they need in a timely manner.

The average journey time to a stroke unit in Germany is only 14 minutes, but 5 million people have to calculate with over 30 minutes. In cities like Cologne or Berlin, travel times look better, which represents a significant improvement in stroke care for the population there. However, the statistics make it clear that we are far from reaching our goal, because if there is a goodwill bottleneck in the Sonneberg Hospital, this region could lose a valuable connection to other hospitals.

Necessary reforms

In view of these developments, there are efforts to improve the quality of care. The National Institutes of Health highlights that stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide and is increasingly causing disability. To change that, we have to act faster. Quality measures, including the certification of stroke units, have been introduced, but implementation varies greatly. The action plan to improve stroke care in Europe from 2018 to 2030 aims to increase the proportion of strokes treated in specialist units, but the prognosis remains shaky if positions like the one in Sonneberg remain unfilled.

In summary, it can be said that both closing staffing gaps and improving clinic networking are crucial to ensuring comprehensive, high-quality stroke care. Despite positive developments in many areas, regional supply gaps and insufficient resources are still a challenge that needs to be overcome. The coming weeks could be groundbreaking here. That remains to be seen – because time is running out.