Medical Association recommends: Practices should only open four days a week

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Doctor: »Enormous cost pressure«

Photo: Xavier Lorenzo / Westend61 / IMAGO

The Virchowbund has called on all medical practices to introduce a four-day week.

On Wednesdays, they should generally refrain from outpatient care and instead use the day “to deal with bureaucracy and for further training”, the professional association announced on Wednesday in Berlin.

Sharp criticism of the announcement came from the statutory health insurance companies.

The Virchowbund justified the proposal with economic considerations.

Medical practices are "under enormous cost pressure" due to high energy price increases and inflation, but at the same time have to fight against "a budgeted financing system and the cancellation of funds".

Four-day week more attractive

The national chairman of the medical association, Dirk Heinrich, explained: "It is therefore clear to us: Services that are not paid for cannot be provided - that is why we have to limit our services."

The association, which represents general practitioners and specialists in private practice, also described the initiative as a "sign against the ever-increasing bureaucracy in medical practices and as a remedy for the shortage of skilled workers".

A four-day week with full wage compensation, for example, makes working in medical practices more attractive.

The same applies to young doctors for reasons of family friendliness, it said.

The spokesman for the Central Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds (GKV), Florian Lanz, pointed out that resident doctors would receive more than one billion euros in additional fees in 2023 alone.

"The fee increases year after year and not less, as is sometimes claimed," said Lanz.

"I seriously wonder how the Virchowbund can call for a reduction in the services for patients with an average net income per practice owner of well over 215,000 euros".

mike/AFP