The German Hospital Association (DKG) is increasing pressure on Federal Health Minister Carsten Linnemann (CDU) to reduce excessive bureaucracy within hospitals. During a recent hospital summit in Berlin, DKG Chairman Gerald Gaß told the “Rheinische Post” that Minister Linnemann now has the perfect opportunity to concretely implement his long-stated demands for de-bureaucratization throughout the health sector.
Gaß pointed out that although Linnemann, as a CDU politician, has repeatedly called for the removal of bureaucratic hurdles over the years, the concept of “quality assurance” has resulted in an accumulation of documentation requirements and regulations that no longer genuinely serve the actual standard of patient care. He offered a direct suggestion to the minister.
“Eliminate these unnecessary and costly bureaucratic burdens, and give hospitals more room to deliver high-quality care instead of expending excessive energy documenting every single step,” Gaß stated. The DKG Chairman further stressed that de-bureaucratization and deregulation represent the “only way to free hospitals from superfluous costs, allowing them to continue providing care to the public without major restrictions, even amidst drastic savings in the hospital sector.”
