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FDP MP Andrew Ullmann: Don't undermine medical competence
Photo: Kilian Genius / dpa
There is new trouble in the traffic light – about the so-called individual health services (IGeL). The offers refer to self-pay services in medical practices that are not covered by statutory health insurance companies. Patients have to pay for it themselves. The Greens and SPD consider parts of the services to be questionable - and are pushing for better protection against non-evidence-based treatments.
Andrew Ullmann, health policy spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group, now warns SPIEGEL against making cuts too quickly. “It is important to respect doctors’ freelance freedom and to protect their freedom of choice with regard to IGeL offers,” says Ullmann. Which health service is beneficial is at the discretion of the treating doctors. "Interference in medical practice, especially through politics, would affect the relationship between doctor and patient and undermine trust in medical competence."
Outdated patient rights law
Most recently, Janosch Dahmen, health policy spokesman for the Green Party parliamentary group, called for “an update of the outdated Patient Rights Act.” And the Federal Patient Representative Stefan Schwartze (SPD) even pushed for the ban on some self-pay offers in doctors' practices. “Services that are described as harmful by medical societies have no place in doctors’ offices and are prohibited, even within the framework of IGeL,” said Schwartze.
The Patient Rights Act came into force in 2013, and important improvements since then include a guaranteed right to inspect patient files, detailed information requirements for doctors and support from health insurance companies if treatment errors are suspected. Since then, improvements have been repeatedly requested.
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