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Brandenburg's healthcare system warns: Catastrophic pandemic preparation!
Leading health experts in Brandenburg warn of a lack of pandemic preparedness and are calling for better storage of protective equipment.
Brandenburg's healthcare system warns: Catastrophic pandemic preparation!
There is dissatisfaction in Brandenburg about preparations for future pandemics. At a technical discussion in the Corona Study Commission of the Brandenburg state parliament, leading representatives of the healthcare industry expressed concerns about the organizational processes. Michael Jacob, managing director of the State Hospital Association, and Holger Rosteck, board member of the Brandenburg Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, urgently pointed out the grievances that came to light during the corona pandemic and that urgently need to be improved.
The shortage of masks, protective equipment, disinfectants and medicines during the early stages of the pandemic was described as catastrophic. The storage problem is also causing headaches: 54 hospitals and around 3,200 medical practices in Brandenburg cannot currently store enough masks and protective equipment. “The expiry dates must be strictly observed during storage,” says Jacob, emphasizing the need for better organization and planning.
Secure protective equipment and procurement sustainably
The difficulties in procurement also have to do with national and international market conditions. This resulted in extreme competition for protective equipment and intensive care infrastructure during the pandemic. Every hospital, every care facility and every doctor's office has since been left to its own devices when it comes to meeting the need for personal protective equipment, explains the Federal Ministry of Health the situation. The federal government, together with those involved in the healthcare system, has taken measures to ensure a high level of protection and secure sufficient protective equipment.
The aim of these measures is not least to stabilize health care even in times of crisis. The current focus of the national pandemic planning is due to respiratory diseases and the rapid outbreak of new pathogens. National pandemic planning itself has the task of establishing structures and processes in inter-pandemic phases so that a quick and effective response can be made in the event of an outbreak.
The Corona Study Commission has set out to develop concrete recommendations in order to better equip the Brandenburg healthcare system for future crises. “We must learn from the experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic” is the unanimous opinion of the experts. High-quality, secure supply chains for medical products are required in order to avoid future bottlenecks and to protect the population as best as possible.
In summary, there is still a lot to be done when it comes to preparing Brandenburg for the challenges of the future in the area of healthcare. The voices from the healthcare sector are clear and time is of the essence.