Emergency services from various regions in Germany have been sounding the alarm for months: According to those responsible, the flood of operations can hardly be managed anymore and endangers rapid care in life-threatening cases.
The Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) as a neutral network for protection, rescue and safety now wants to analyze the problem together with the key players in the rescue service and look for possible solutions.
Representatives of AG FReDi
At the first meeting of an ad hoc working group, which also included representatives of the Association of Fire Brigades in the Rescue Service (AG FReDi), the German Red Cross (DRK) and Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe (JUH), it was emphasized that there is no patent solution become.
“The causes are too diverse,” said the Head of the Working Group, vfdb Executive Board Member, Dr. Uwe Lühmann.
The situation is further complicated by the general current shortage of skilled workers
Dr. Uwe Lühmann adds, “Our goal is to bring together everyone who is directly or indirectly responsible for the emergency services at one table and to tackle the challenges together - this not only affects the emergency services themselves, but also their providers, the health insurance companies, clinics, the private medical profession and ultimately also the patients.”
The situation is further complicated by the general current shortage of skilled workers.
Topics of discussion
But simply calling for more staff and more emergency vehicles is not enough. The question of the extent to which the population's ability to help themselves needs to be promoted is also among the topics of discussion.
“The daily reality in the rescue control centers is that people call 112 and request an ambulance because of an ingrown toenail, for example,” says Dr. Uwe Lühmann, adding “Maybe we need to start providing information in school lessons.”
