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"Unfortunately not all suggestions from the discussions have been taken up": Employee of a laboratory with throat swab tubes in March 2020
Photo: Felix Kästle / dpa
Medical laboratories are defending themselves against Deutsche Telekom's allegation that they behaved in a disagreeable manner during the pandemic.
This is what SPIEGEL reports in its current issue.
Previously, Telekom boss Timotheus Höttges had sharply attacked some laboratory operators in the presence of Chancellery Chief Helge Braun and Health Minister Jens Spahn in a balance sheet after 100 days of the Corona warning app.
"Not all laboratories have the same understanding of solidarity", said Höttges, 15 of them were "not ready" to set up the necessary laboratory interface to pass on the test results directly to those affected by app.
Only laboratories with Windows are compatible with the warning app
The Association of Accredited Laboratories in Medicine (ALM) rejects the allegation.
He sees Telekom's responsibility.
The connection was intensively supported.
"Unfortunately, Telekom did not take up all the suggestions from the talks."
Laboratories that are not connected to the system cannot digitally forward positive test results to the warning app.
Users then have to rely on the warning app's less privacy-friendly hotline.
This is the only way they can pass their test results on to the warning app, which in turn is important so that the app can warn their contacts at all.
Telekom had to design the installations in such a way "that they can be easily implemented for the laboratories without major financial outlay and across operating systems," said ALM.
So far, this has only worked with Windows servers via the telecommunications service provider Bucher.
Laboratories that rely on other software - such as Linux - have to adapt at their own expense.
On request, Deutsche Telekom added that it was definitely offering a connection that was independent of the laboratory's operating system.
This is already being used by some laboratories.
No money for laboratory IT from the warning app budget
The Federal Ministry of Health or Telekom do not provide the laboratories with any money for any technical updates they may need from the budget of the Corona warning app.
According to current plans, Telekom will receive around 50 million euros from the federal government for the warning app by 2021.
Around 8.5 million are estimated for SAP by 2021.
Telekom boss Höttges brought into play on Wednesday that politics should put more pressure on the laboratories that have not yet been connected.
The Association of Accredited Laboratories is demanding a solution from Telekom.
"That is more important than public criticism of those who make an important contribution with their diagnostic work so that our society can better assess and contain the pandemic."
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