Petition for better outpatient care: citizens mobilize!

Petition for better outpatient care: citizens mobilize!

The health care of children and adolescents in Germany is currently the focus of attention, especially in the district of Herford. A 28-year-old mother from Enger launched the largest online petition in the region to draw attention to pressing problems in the medical emergency service. After a protest that resulted in a broad discussion between the Association of Statutory Health Insurance, the district and the clinic, a compromise solution for the emergency services was found from Monday to Thursday. The initiator plans to continue her efforts and continue to advance the topic in order to optimize outpatient care.

This local initiative fits into a larger context: The petition to improve outpatient care in Germany was submitted to the German Bundestag on October 15, 2023 and has been signed online since then. The aim of this petition is to collect at least 50,000 signatures in order to be able to provide the concern in a hearing in the petition committee. So far, the Federal Government has not undertaken little to improve the conditions in the doctor's practices, which underlines the urgency of such initiatives.

demands of the petition

Overall, the petition contains seven essential demands that are directed against the burdens of bureaucracy and inadequate financing. The main concerns include:

• Abolition of the budgets
• meaningful digitization
• Reduction of bureaucracy
• Abolition of regulations for regulations

These topics are not only important for the initiators, but also won the support of doctors, psychotherapists and practice employees. Those involved can be active by providing their signature on listed lists in the practices or using online registration. The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) has already launched a mailing campaign in order to further attract the challenges of outpatient care.

Details for the collection of signatures

A one -time registration is required for the drawing of the petition, whereby the anonymity can be preserved. The signature lists can be submitted by December 20, 2023, whereby handwritten submissions have to be sent to the petition committee by post, email or fax by post, email or fax. The petition is registered under the title "Remuneration for medical services-improvement of the framework conditions for outpatient care" (petition ID: 158622).

The current situation illustrates the imbalances and the challenges that outpatient medical care is facing Germany. While the bodies continue to work on solutions, the initiators hope that their efforts will have a positive impact on the future design of the medical offers. The discussion about an urgently needed reform remains relevant and is continued by such actions.

For further information and for the signing of the petition, you can use the pages of Westfalen-blatt and KBV Visit.