The German District Council Day (DLT) has publicly joined concerns raised by the ADAC regarding potential cuts to air ambulance services, voicing widespread fears that the planned statutory health insurance (GKV) reform will lead to a dramatic decline in healthcare provision across rural areas.
Speaking to the “Neuen Osnabrücker Zeitung” DLT President Achim Brötel acknowledged that while district councils are not directly responsible for air rescue, they “explicitly share” these concerns, warning that a dangerous downward spiral is unfolding.
According to Brötel, if spending cuts continue to thin out hospital services in rural regions, the need for rapid air evacuation becomes even more critical, especially when ground routes prove too lengthy. He warns that further reductions in air rescue capacity will prevent severely ill or injured patients from reaching hospitals in time. “This cannot happen, nor should it” he stated. “Helicopters don’t take off when someone has broken a leg; we are talking about acute emergencies and human lives”.
The DLT President also strongly criticized the austerity measures proposed for clinical facilities. He pointed out that the planned GKV savings package would put an additional burden of over 5 billion euros on hospitals, nearly doubling the already excessively high deficits. Brötel stressed that “no one can endure this”. Consequently, he predicts that smaller, yet vital, hospitals in rural areas will be forced into successive shutdowns or outright closures, severely degrading the quality of life-sustaining healthcare in these regions.
The DLT added that the GKV reform package has already been approved by the Federal Cabinet and is expected to be passed by the Bundestag by early July.
