Anne Will irritated Wüst's statement about compulsory vaccination - then Buschmann also grappled in

Created: 01/24/2022, 10:56 am

The guests at "Anne Will" © Screenshot: ARD/"Anne Will"

The incidence is increasing, PCR tests are becoming scarce, the clinics are complaining about staff shortages - a return to normality is not in sight.

What could stabilize the situation?

Berlin – "How do you think they feel?": With Anne Will*, the chief physician at the St. Antonius Hospital in Eschweiler, Prof. Uwe Janssens, can hardly stay in his chair. With his criticism, he turns directly to Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann, who is also in the group. According to the intensive care doctor, his employees, for whom the politicians had introduced compulsory vaccination in a quick decision, would mostly care for unvaccinated people from morning to evening on the beds in the intensive care units. And don't understand why they wouldn't be subject to compulsory vaccination, but they themselves would be. The mood was "very cold," says Janssens and does not mean that medically.

The second problem area that Janssens is bothered about and which he also argues energetically is the lack of digitization of patient data, which becomes a problem especially during further treatment in clinics: "We have no information, we have nothing," complains Janssens.

That is "carrier pigeon level", a "digital grave".

The chairwoman of the German Ethics Council, Prof. Alena Buyx - who laughs out loud at Janssen's remarks - supports the accusation.

She had previously called for digitization in the healthcare system on the show.

"Anne Will" - these guests discussed with:

• Marco Buschmann (FDP*)

  - Federal Minister of Justice

• Hendrik Wüst (CDU*)

  - Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia

• Prof. Alena Buyx

  - Chairwoman of the German Ethics Council

• Prof. Uwe Janssens

  - Chief Physician of the Clinic for Internal Medicine and Internal Intensive Care Medicine at the St. Antonius Hospital in Eschweiler

• Helene Bubrowski

  -

  FAZ

  correspondent in the parliamentary editorial office

"What plan is politics going into the third year of Corona?" Asks Anne Will* at the beginning of her program on ARD entitled "Omicron wave there, vaccination not mandatory".

But a plan, as confirmed by North Rhine-Westphalian Prime Minister Hendrick Wüst, does not exist so far, only the desire for "planning for an exit strategy".

“Corona is now putting the necessary pressure on …” This sentence horrified Will: “Now?

In the third year of the pandemic…?!”

But Wüst can not be disturbed. There have been "deficits" for a long time, he says, since the "introduction of a digital health card" has been under discussion since 2003 - since then there have also been debates about responsibilities and data protection.

The moderator from Wüst wants to know how the status for a “secured health system” can be defined, which is the basis for a return to normality.

But the prime minister also owes the viewers a concrete proposal here - the repeated questions of the moderator are of no use.

FDP man Buschmann jumps to the side of Wüst and announces the “go-ahead” and “great ambitions” for more digitization in the healthcare system for the federal-state conference.

Wüst nods in relief in the direction of Buschmann.

But shortly afterwards he needs the help of his liberal federal colleague again.

Buschmann must improve Wüst in terms of compulsory vaccination: "One message is not enough"

Because when it comes to the question of introducing a general obligation to vaccinate, which may be decided in March, Wüst is treading on thin ice. Perhaps also to counter Janssen's outrage, the CDU politician says that compulsory vaccination is a "signal to those who have been vaccinated". This group should be shown with the introduction of compulsory vaccination: "Now it's the turn of the others who have previously refused." "A sign to the vaccinated?" Will asks, irritated. But Wüst doesn't seem to understand the hint with the fence post. Wüst confirms: "We will no longer allow people to place their individual freedom above the freedom of society as a whole."

Federal Minister Buschmann quickly steps into the debate and makes it clear that this is not sufficient as a legal basis for a massive encroachment on fundamental rights - such as compulsory vaccination - and would even be precarious as a justification.

In order to legally justify a general obligation to vaccinate, a “legitimate goal” is needed, the lawyer clarifies.

"One message is not enough.

What is sufficient is the protection of our public health system.” Buschmann himself would find this to “protect the health system” understandable from the age of 50.

Ethics expert: A wide range of "voluntary vaccination measures" is important for compulsory vaccination

Buyx adds that the legal basis is only given with "a series of accompanying measures" for voluntary vaccinations, "a full turbocharger" that means that you almost "stumble" over vaccination offers. This is "very, very important", according to the ethics expert and leaves no doubt that otherwise there would be a risk that the constitutional court would overturn the regulation.

Buschmann makes it clear that digitization and compulsory vaccination should go hand in hand.

Greece - "a country that has often been made fun of", said the Federal Minister frankly, has digitized its system in "one and a half years" and leaves no doubt: Germany can do the same if it only wants to.

The current situation is "unacceptable".

The suspicion arises that the introduction of compulsory vaccination could make it easier for politicians to justify the conversion.

“Do you also want a vaccination register?” Will asks Buschmann.

But he still owes the answer to the controversial question.

“Relaxation – from when?” Will asks the group and gives the answer himself: “Mr. Lauterbach says in mid-February …” Wüst comments: “If that’s the case, wonderful.

The faster the better!"

Conclusion of the "Anne Will" talk

With Anne Will this time: You can answer, but you don't have to.

The politicians have still not given any answers about the implementation of a general obligation to vaccinate or the introduction of a vaccination register, and the criterion that must occur in order for there to be a return to normal is still nebulous.

On the other hand, one thing seems pretty certain after the talk: According to many in politics, vaccination remains the first civic duty, digitization is the freestyle.