Knut Fleckenstein, the national chairman of the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB), has issued a warning regarding the recently approved emergency care reform by the Bundestag, specifically cautioning about the potential consequences of inadequate financing.
Fleckenstein stated to the newspapers of the Funke media group that if wages and salaries are not properly refinanced, the aid organizations will face losses and become financially strained. He explained that this would force the organizations to cut services and place restrictions, potentially affecting the quality of emergency transport and ambulance services.
The ASB head argued that the GKV contribution stabilization law should not be applied to the rescue services sector. Despite this objection, the leader of the assistance and welfare organization praised the reform itself, calling it the first reform that truly lives up to its name.
However, Fleckenstein admitted he could not guarantee the promised reduction in wait times for patients in emergency rooms. He also noted that building the planned integrated emergency centers will be challenging and difficult, but he supports the goal and believes that implemented implementation steps should proceed gradually. Furthermore, the ASB chairman welcomed the plan to consolidate the emergency service phone numbers 112 and 116117.
Nevertheless, regarding the Emergency Paramedic Act, Fleckenstein called for amendments. He insisted that paramedics must be legally enabled to perform the assistance tasks for which they are trained and those that are necessary. Currently, he argues, they face a legal hurdle because certain procedures are restricted solely to doctors.
