Erfurt (dpa/th) - The Thuringian State Medical Association speaks of a critical situation in the health care system and has appealed to people to only use emergency and on-call services in urgent emergencies. For doctors it is natural to help and heal, said the President of the State Medical Association, Ellen Lundershausen, on Monday.
"But unfortunately we experience too often and unfortunately also more and more that patients with minor cases visit the medical care facilities, sometimes also use the emergency service, where on the one hand there is no urgency, on the other hand through health self-management relief until the next day with regular office hours is possible."
The State Medical Association calls on patients to only request a home visit from the on-call service of the statutory health insurance physicians in urgent and acute cases. "First consider whether it is sufficient to present yourself to the family doctor or specialist the next day," says the appeal. The emergency doctor and emergency room should only be used in life-threatening emergencies.
"We urgently ask for your understanding and support for the current critical situation in the healthcare system," the appeal said. A spokeswoman explained that the influenza virus that is currently circulating and the RS virus in particular are causing numerous cases of illness in children. "The practices are full," she said. In the case of sick small children, parents who work as specialists in the healthcare sector are often absent. In addition, the stress of the corona pandemic led to a number of specialists changing jobs. "Many were and are at the end of their strength," the appeal also says. "Some nurses have given up their jobs and switched to other professions."
