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Under pressure: Health Minister Jens Spahn with mask delivery
Photo: Britta Pedersen / dpa
The SPD chairman Norbert Walter-Borjans considers the handling of health minister Jens Spahn (CDU) with allegedly inferior corona masks to be inhumane and demands consequences. CDU leader Armin Laschet must "now ask the question whether this scandalous approach by Jens Spahn is still acceptable for a party with a Christian label," said Walter-Borjans of "Bild am Sonntag". "The public has the right to a quick answer."
SPIEGEL had previously revealed that Spahn's ministry had bought unusable masks for an estimated billion euros in early 2020. Because they were apparently not allowed to be distributed regularly, Spahn's people wanted to give them to Hartz IV recipients, the disabled and the homeless in special campaigns. Meanwhile, the plan provides for the useless masks to be stored in the National Health Protection Reserve. From there they should only be issued in the event of a disaster. In order to make them disappear, they should be destroyed after the expiry time has been reached.
"It is unworthy and inhuman when a health minister divides people into two classes, namely those who are entitled to quality-tested masks and those for whom absolutely unsuitable masks are good enough not to protect their lives," said Walter-Borjans of " Bild «newspaper.
"If that occurred to a minister of the SPD, we would know what to do."
Previously, SPD General Secretary Lars Klingbeil had already sharply criticized.
"These processes in the Federal Ministry of Health are outrageous and inhumane," Klingbeil told SPIEGEL.
"The minister has to explain as quickly as possible that he cannot point his finger at others here."
"What does that say about Jens Spahn's image of man?"
There was also sharp criticism from other parties.
Left boss Janine Wissler hardly covertly suggested resignation to Spahn.
She called the behavior of the Ministry of Health "inhuman and abysmal".
The question arises: "What does that say about Jens Spahn's image of man if he allows inferior masks to be distributed to Hartz IV recipients, the homeless and people with disabilities?" Consciously endangering groups "is not acceptable".
The health expert of the FDP parliamentary group in, Wieland Schinnenburg, spoke of a "serious incident".
Spahn must "either deny credibly or draw conclusions."
It is incomprehensible "how responsible politicians can come up with such ideas."
The ministry tried on Saturday to dispel the allegations and accused the SPD of a "pre-arranged game".
For reasons of the election campaign, the SPD attacked Minister Spahn again with fluffy stories.
When masks were distributed free of charge to facilities for the homeless and integration assistance, "the best possible protection of the citizens and employees living there was at the fore at all times," emphasized the ministry.
In the procurement of medical material "in the emergency situation at the time", "strict attention was paid to quality".
Insofar as the "deficiency" was found in the test procedure, the ministry did not accept the goods and did not pay for them.
For Hartz IV recipients, masks were distributed via the pharmacies.
"These were procured from the pharmacies, stocks of the federal government were not used for this purpose and this was not planned."
hen / cte / til / dpa