Suche
Mein Konto
Alarm in MV: Doctors warn of chaos because of new emergency reform!
The reform of emergency care in MV aims to improve patient management and relieve the burden on emergency departments. 116 117 becomes central.
Alarm in MV: Doctors warn of chaos because of new emergency reform!
On December 3, 2025, the focus will be on the reform of emergency care in Germany, which was initiated by the federal government. The aim of this fundamental change is to reduce the burden on emergency rooms and rescue services and thus ensure more efficient patient care. A central aspect is the expansion of the telephone number 116 117, which will in future serve as a contact point for acute, but not life-threatening, complaints. The importance of this number is often underestimated by the population, as many only use the emergency number 112 know.
As part of the reform, the introduction of an initial assessment procedure is planned. The idea behind this is to direct callers to the appropriate level of care. For patients, this means improved control to the required treatment sites. In order to successfully implement these desired changes, integrated emergency centers (INZ) should be set up at selected hospitals across the board. These INZ will meaningfully link the existing emergency departments and emergency services practices of the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians.
Doctors express concerns
But not all healthcare players are convinced of the plans. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the head of family medicine, Dr. Stefan Zutz is concerned that a 24/7 home visit service is unnecessary and practically impossible to implement in this area. The State Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KVMV) also calls for an objective assessment of the existing structures to ensure that the reform does not lead to an overload of general practitioners.
The situation in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is currently tense: there are 80.5 vacant family doctor positions and there is a risk of undersupply in several regions. The lack of specialists, pediatricians and psychotherapists in particular is exacerbating the situation and making comprehensive health care a challenge.
Find the right contact point
When complaints are not life-threatening but still urgent, many patients often do not know where to turn. Kristina S., a committed family doctor, emphasizes the importance of 116 117 as a valuable contact point that also helps to reduce the burden on emergency rooms. The doctor Peter M. reported on his last shift: “One in three of my patients was not a real emergency.” He emphasizes that many of those arriving with minor complaints such as nausea or suspected flu overload the emergency room and thus endanger real emergency care.
The introduction of 116 117 aims to remedy this situation by referring patients to the appropriate medical care center. Markus F., a graphic designer, quickly found out how to use the number through a Google search and was very satisfied with the on-call service's advice to see his family doctor.
At a time when healthcare is being put to the test, it is becoming increasingly clear how important targeted patient management and the correct distribution of information are. Although the reform is controversial, it could ultimately help to sustainably reduce the burden on emergency care.