CDU is fighting against a shortage of specialists: acute emergency in MV!

CDU is fighting against a shortage of specialists: acute emergency in MV!

Rural health care in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is in jeopardy. This is shown by the CDU's current campaign under the motto “Operation to treat the country”. With an appeal that was distributed in 250,000 mailboxes across the country, the party wants to draw attention to the urgent problem of the shortage of specialists. The initiative is led by Daniel Peters, the CDU state and parliamentary group leader, who uses vivid examples to illustrate the worrying situation. For example, a dermatologist retired and left no successor, which means residents within a 30-kilometer radius cannot find a doctor.

In total, over 800 responses were received on the mv-kann-mehr.de/fachaerzte platform, describing in detail the difficulties and bottlenecks in specialist medical care. Reports range from long waiting times – around six months until the next appointment with a urologist or even 18 months for rheumatologists – to enormous driving distances for acute appointments. It's hard to believe that patients have to travel up to 180 kilometers to Berlin to see a dermatologist.

Alarm mood in the healthcare system

The Medical Association in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has been sounding the alarm since November 2024. She warns of the dangers posed by the closure of specialist practices for outpatient care in rural areas. Events in Schwerin have made it clear that many practices have to close without a successor, which further increases the pressure on existing resources. By mid-year, only one out of four ENT practices remained in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district - an alarming signal for health care in the region.

According to the reports, the situation is similar in other areas such as Uecker-Randow, Malchin and Bad Doberan. Here too, numerous positions are unfilled. The state government has been asked for support by various professional associations, in particular to support young future specialists who are committed to working in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. A frequently mentioned suggestion: prospective specialists should work in a practice for at least six months in order to get to know the local conditions and understand the challenges.

Strategies to improve the situation

The CDU sees an urgent need for action and has drawn up a ten-point plan to ensure primary and specialist medical care. This plan includes, among other things, the creation of additional medical study places, the increase in the rural doctor quota for specialists and the reactivation of the rural doctor scholarship. There are also calls for accelerated recognition of foreign doctors and a reduction in bureaucracy in everyday practice. It is particularly important to strengthen the networking of outpatient and inpatient care.

Health care in rural regions requires innovative concepts to close the existing gaps. Demographic change and the associated aging of the population are increasing the need for medical care, particularly because rural areas often have a higher disease burden. Innovative approaches, such as telemedicine offers and mobile practices, could be a useful addition to improve accessibility for patients.

The situation in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is symptomatic of many rural regions in Germany, where access to high-quality healthcare is often difficult. Without clear measures and investments, citizens in rural parts of the country face the challenge of making necessary medical services increasingly difficult to access. There is a lot of work ahead of us to continue to ensure basic medical care across the board.

How the situation will develop and what steps will actually be taken remains to be seen. However, one thing is clear: the alarm bells are ringing and it is high time to act.