After many discussions, after demonstrations against it, after horror pictures drawn for the case of the realization, the so-called facility-related vaccination obligation has been in effect since mid-March.
Employees in clinics, nursing homes, medical practices and similar facilities must provide their employer with full vaccination protection against the corona virus or recovery from a Covid 19 disease, otherwise the facilities must forward the data of the employees concerned to the responsible health authorities.
At the end of a multi-stage process, they can ban employees from entering the workplace, after which they should generally no longer be entitled to remuneration, i.e. if you are not vaccinated, you will not receive any money.
It was feared for the nursing labor market that
that it could collapse in parts because employees who were not willing to vaccinate would quit.
So far that hasn't happened.
Still, a lot will change.
On the one hand, six weeks after the introduction of the facility-related compulsory vaccination, it is too early to take stock: Thousands of reports that need to be checked have been received by the health authorities.
So far there are said to be almost 50,000 in Germany, around 6,500 in Berlin alone;
in the much smaller Frankfurt 3000 reports were counted.
Nursing shortage does not seem to be aggravated
Those affected are written to, asked to submit proof of vaccination, and may be asked again before further steps follow.
It will therefore not be possible to evaluate the extent to which the unvaccinated rate in this area will stabilize before autumn.
And then at the latest one will not be able to avoid putting the unpopular topic of general vaccination back on the agenda.
Because the facility-related obligation will expire at the beginning of 2023, and it is questionable whether it can be politically enforced again without an obligation for other groups following.
On the other hand, it is already positive to note that the nursing shortage does not seem to have worsened.
When home providers and clinics report high vaccination rates, that is reassuring at first.
It would be even better if all companies and institutions that are now subject to registration would include a vaccination requirement in the employment contract when they are hired.
Quite a few clinics, for example, are already doing this.
In the future, they will do a number of things differently than before, in recruiting staff, in patient care, in cooperation with other hospitals.
All of this is born out of necessity.
And of necessity it is also an opportunity.