[ad_1]
In the crisis of the Crown, the health authorities of the municipalities play an important role: they have to trace contacts and order tests. However, so far, authorities have been understaffed in many cases. That should change now.
As a consequence of the ongoing corona pandemic, the federal and state governments want to create at least 5,000 new and permanent full-time positions in the public health service (ÖGD) by the end of 2022. In a first step, there should be at least 1,500 positions for doctors, other specialized personnel and administrative staff by the end of 2021, said federal Health Minister Jens Spahn and the chair of state health ministers, Berlin Senator Dilek Kalayci.
In addition to the new positions, the aim is to improve the digitization of health authorities and authorities, make work in the public health service more attractive and create sustainable structures. The 375 health authorities play a key role in monitoring infection chains and ordering tests and quarantine.
Health authorities “too often are not optimally equipped”
“We are still in the middle of the pandemic,” Spahn told a news conference. Now it is a matter of learning from the first experiences of the new decade. Spahn expressly thanked the employees of the health authorities. Corona contact tracing is laborious work, and the public health service “too often was not optimally equipped for it.” Kalayci also stated: “Looking back, it can be said critically that both in federal states and municipalities, when it came to equipping authorities, health authorities were not very high on the priority list.”
The black-red coalition committee agreed on June 22 to provide a total of four billion euros by 2026 for the implementation of a “pact for public health service.” The federal-state resolution now says that those involved in the pact agree that the participation of independent cities and districts is essential for its implementation.
Merkel wants to exchange ideas with officials
According to her own statement, Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to participate in a videoconference next Tuesday to discuss “how the work in the local health authorities is going, what challenges arise and where politics can help.” Merkel said in her weekly video message that the federal government “has already done a lot to quickly help health authorities.” For example, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) trained additional employees for health authorities and soldiers from the German Armed Forces provided support with corona tests.
