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For this time of year, an unusually large number of people are currently suffering from respiratory infections (symbol image)
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Germany's general practitioners are calling for a return to the possibility of taking sick leave over the phone.
In view of numerous cases of colds and corona diseases, the chairman of the German Association of General Practitioners, Ulrich Weigeldt, called it "a real nuisance" that the possibility of determining incapacity for work (AU) by telephone had not been included in standard care.
"The telephone AU would provide real relief," Weigeldt told the dpa news agency in Berlin.
Since June 1st, patients have had to go back to the practice or to a video consultation to get sick leave.
In the case of mild illnesses of the upper respiratory tract, during the corona pandemic until May 31st, it was possible for seven days after consultation only by telephone.
A visit to the practice is not always necessary
"A personal consultation with the family doctor is not always absolutely necessary, for example in the case of a simple flu infection or a mild course of the corona virus," said Weigeldt.
In these cases, from the point of view of the head of the association, it would make sense if the general practitioners could write off sick leave for those affected for a few days after a telephone consultation.
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As a rule, both sides have known each other for a long time, said Weigeldt.
Abuse is very rare.
»Instead, the patients are now being forced to drag themselves to the doctor’s office when they are sick, without this being medically absolutely necessary.«
According to the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA), it is possible to return to the option of taking sick leave by telephone.
The committee is the body with representatives of the medical profession, health insurance companies and hospitals that decides on the services of the statutory health insurance funds and rules such as sick leave.
In the spring of 2022, there was an intensive discussion in this committee "whether it is right to let the previous special regulations for telephone sick leave expire at the end of May 2022," said a spokeswoman for the dpa.
All sponsors of the G-BA and thus also the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians as the representative of the medical profession agreed at the time that such special rules could be withdrawn because of the calmer pandemic situation at the time.
This was done in line with everyday relaxation.
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"Should the corona pandemic pick up speed again, the Federal Joint Committee can activate its special regulations (...) again," said the spokeswoman.
This can happen in certain regions or, if necessary, nationwide.
For this purpose, among other things, an application would have to be submitted to the committee.
According to the G-BA spokeswoman, this could come from the sponsors of the committee, such as the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians.
Data shows that an unusually high number of people have respiratory infections for this time of year.
For example, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) recently – based on the period from June 27 to July 3 – of 4.5 million acute respiratory diseases (ARE) in Germany within one week.
This corresponds to about one disease for 18.5 inhabitants.
In previous years - both during and before the corona pandemic - the values were significantly lower.
ARE occurs when a patient has a respiratory disease with fever, cough or sore throat.
The RKI recently gave the number of doctor visits for acute respiratory diseases at 1.2 million within a week.
Among adults, there are up to three times more visits to the doctor than in the years before the corona pandemic at this time.
In addition to increased infections, this could also be due to the fact that people go to the doctor even with mild symptoms because they are sensitized by the pandemic.
According to the RKI, the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus is mainly responsible for the high number of diseases in adults.
Unlike 2020 and 2021, there is currently a summer wave due to the more contagious Omicron variant BA.5.
In children, rhino and parainfluenza viruses in particular circulated.
Influenza viruses also continued to play a role.
mar/dpa
