Health system not crisis-proof, warns the Chancellor’s expert council

According to the expert council “Health and Resilience” based at the Chancellery, the German health system is not well prepared for future crises. Compared to other countries, an extremely high level of investment is being made in health care without people’s health improving accordingly, the committee explains in a statement made available to the German Press Agency.

In addition, Germany is in a demographically challenging situation because the population is rapidly aging. At the same time, around 30 percent of the health care professionals will retire in the next ten years. In addition, health inequalities are increasing. The health care system does not provide an adequate basis “for preparing for crisis situations, disruptions and shocks,” the Council concludes. A change in the overall “inefficient, poor quality system” seems essential.

Prepare for crises early

The expert council, made up of 23 scientists from various disciplines, began its work in March. The committee followed the Corona expert council. The experts include the former chair of the German Ethics Council Alena Buyx and the virologist Christian Drosten.

Medicine has made great progress in innovative therapies in recent years and offers new treatment options for serious illnesses, said Charité CEO and head of the expert council, Heyo K. Kroemer. This is the goal of scientific developments, but at the same time it is very costly. According to Kroemer, the question therefore arises as to how future, often expensive innovations can be financed and at the same time made available to all affected patient groups in line with their needs. “If such a development can no longer be fully financed, the question arises as to which criteria decisions are made,” said Kroemer. The expert council is of the opinion “that this foreseeable problem should be discussed now.”

Health system should become more efficient

In order to make the health system more efficient and resilient to crises, the Council recommends broadening the understanding of innovation. Accordingly, it should not only be about developing new drugs or diagnostic procedures, but also consciously omitting services or measures that do not add value. Innovations could also be structural innovations or changes. For example, there has been a long-standing discussion about whether and which non-medical professional groups could take over individual tasks that were previously carried out by doctors. The restructuring of hospital care is another example.

The German health system has a very high international standard, said Kroemer. “But this also means that we have an extreme responsibility to think about how we can make the system resilient to future challenges.” It is important that politics and science work together in a forward-looking manner and use times without particular health challenges, such as the corona pandemic, to prepare structurally and fundamentally for possible developments.

Scientific policy advice such as the Expert Council is very helpful in this regard, said Kroemer. The Council can build up expertise outside of crises and react quickly during crises and offer well-founded recommendations.