After criticizing KBV's proposal: No costs for emergency patients

"We do not want to ask urgent patients to pay." The Kbadenärztliche Vereinigung made it clear that there should be no charge for emergency patients. Comments by KBV's boss, Gbaden, had caused outrage

In the near future, the search for an emergency room in Germany does not seem to require any fees. The spokeswoman of the Kbadenärztliche Bundesvereinigung (KBV) said: "We do not want to ask patients in emergency to pay." For patients who come to the emergency room, although they can also visit a regular doctor's office, a tax of last resort would be conceivable, admitted the spokesperson. But she also pointed out: "We are not yet that far."

Andreas Gbaden, President of KBV, has himself collected fees to fight unnecessary visits and long periods of waiting in the emergency room . "If some patients permanently withdraw from the offer of medical practitioners and use the system as they please, this must result in financial penalties," he told the German editorial Sunday.

However, his spokesman said that the emergency system would be better suited in Germany. The Expansion of the Emergency Telephone Line 116117e

Critical: The Charge Would Affect Socially Disadvantaged

Gbaden's statement had met with sharp criticism. By paying fees to visit the emergency room, disadvantaged people could not afford an emergency visit anyway, said Brigitte Döcker of the Awo Social Association. "We need easy access to health care for all people at no additional cost," she said.

It is true that hospital doctors should not worry about insignificant cases, Döcker continued. "To avoid this, there are no fees, but medical practices with improved opening hours, which also allow patients to consult a doctor in the afternoon and during the holidays. . "

The German Foundation for the Protection of Patients "The mbad abuse of emergency rooms can not be matter," said the Board of Trustees Eugen Brysch. According to a study, in Berlin, 57% of patients unsuccessfully asked for the help of a GP before going to the ER

The Left Party reports political errors

The Left Party also considers it irresponsible to ask patients to pay. This would make them responsible for "the misery created by political mistakes in health care," said Achim Kessler, left-wing health specialist. He recalled that the practice fees had been abolished by the end of 2012: "Low-income patients have avoided going to the doctor because of the extra costs," Kessler said. "A tax in the emergency room meets – just like the practice fees – the bad ones."