Bavarian medical practices at the limit: Omicron, tests, vaccinations and too few staff push teams to their limits
Created: 2022-01-25 07:04
By: Theresa Kuchler
When the phone doesn't stop ringing: General practitioners' practices in Bavaria have been working on the attack for more than two years now.
Omikron, the range of tests and vaccinations and the lack of staff pose challenges for the practices.
©Epd
Tests, vaccinations and the particularly high number of infections push family doctor practices in Bavaria to their limits.
Now many employees have to be quarantined, which makes the situation even worse.
Munich
– At the moment the phone in the Neckel Mehl und Mehl group practice in Penzberg (Weilheim-Schongau district) is hardly ever still.
"We have a lot of inquiries right now," says Verena Staffler, medical assistant in the doctor's office.
She takes one call after the other and is noticeably stressed.
Many of the callers are patients who have contracted the coronavirus.
Seeking help, they turn to their general practitioners with questions about the treatment of the disease and the correct behavior in quarantine.
Verena Staffler puts them through directly to the doctors.
“Our doctors advise patients over the phone,” she explains.
"We always make sure that we support people with advice and action."
Overall, the Penzberg practice team has reached the limit of its capacity.
"Everything is clearly overloaded," says Staffler.
Omikron has made the situation even worse.
"We're noticing that there's a lot more going on." Another problem: the sparse staffing plan.
"You just don't find anyone who wants to do this job right now."
A big problem: the lack of staff - "You can't find anyone who wants to do this job right now"
Jakob Berger from the Bavarian Association of General Practitioners can confirm the lack of staff.
“Especially in the big cities it is hardly possible to find affordable medical assistants.
Many practices even have to close because of this," he says.
One reason: The stress in the job is very high, but the recognition given is low.
As a result, many apprenticeship positions remain vacant and vacancies remain unfilled.
The fact that practice staff now regularly have to be in quarantine and are absent does not make the situation any better.
In Penzberg, one of the eight Penzberg employees is currently in domestic isolation, as Staffler explains.
Berger also knows many helpers and doctors who are in quarantine.
"Of course, that also paralyzes a practice," he emphasizes.
Doctors and helpers have to be in quarantine, which also paralyzes the practices
Despite the exhausted capacities, the Penzberg doctors are still vaccinating against the corona virus.
"We offer booster, first and second vaccinations," explains Verena Staffler.
Children are also immunized there.
Vaccinations mean a considerable effort for medical practices.
But the strong demand for PCR tests is also paralyzing day-to-day business in many places.
For example, Markus von Rebay complains about the additional work that taking swabs means for him and his practice team in Gilching (Starnberg district).
Actually, there is no time left for the corona tests, he says.
But the demand is simply too great.
"Now we're going to do that as well - it doesn't help," says von Rebay.
Logistical and organizational challenges through testing and vaccination offers
Jakob Berger knows the additional logistical and organizational effort behind the vaccination and test offers in family doctor's surgeries.
In addition, there is a lot of overtime that doctors and helpers currently have to work – during the week and during vaccination campaigns at the weekend.
Many practices have also expanded their offer: with special infection consultation hours for symptomatic patients.
"It's all a big challenge," says Berger.
But the doctor also strikes an optimistic tone: "I'm in good spirits that the situation will improve in the coming months." At least he hopes so - so that the teams in the doctor's offices can finally breathe deeply again.
