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Frustration around vaccination is not just prevalent among those waiting to be vaccinated. There is discontent in the vaccination centers, the commissioner of the Armed Forces receives contributions from soldiers who feel exploited. One was made public anonymously.
Without Bundeswehr forces, Germany would have even more trouble with the gigantic task of vaccinating, but some soldiers have problems with administrative assistance: German Bundestag Defense Commissioner Eva Högl told t-online that “recently (. …) frequent presentations by soldiers on the subject of administrative assistance [gab]. “
Around 3,200 soldiers assist in 223 vaccination centers and 76 mobile vaccination teams across the country. For the most part, it works excellently, but: “We definitely have inputs that express criticism of the design of administrative assistance.” Soldiers who are used to tight organization run into poorly organized processes, which creates resentment. Especially when helpers only feel perceived as cheap labor, the use of which is natural.
Criticism of a soldier in the Bundeswehr
In an anonymous post on Reddit, a soldier expressed his frustration. According to information from t-online, there is actually a Bundeswehr soldier behind the post. However, it cannot be proven whether their descriptions are correct. His conclusion: there is little information, nothing is improving in the processes. They are using it for this purpose, and you have noticed in the account that you are not being paid for the hosting. At least that could be a misunderstanding.
According to his own statements, the soldier is convinced of the meaning of his mission in a small vaccination center in Thuringia. It is currently a hotspot where initially 36 people were vaccinated a day. In the article, he is bothered by experiences that could upset everyone involved in the vaccination center: the slow vaccination rate, although logistically more would be possible, and then the people to be vaccinated also informed the center that they want to postpone their second appointment fixed because they are “there on vacation”. “What are those people thinking?”
For two, seven days from 7 am to 8 pm
On the other hand, it’s about his role as a soldier: with a partner, he covers the registration seven days a week from 7 am to 8 pm “You should not be surprised if the soldiers themselves get tired and have accumulated enough overtime not to be in the unit for the rest of the year. ”
Also, complaints from soldiers can be heard more often: some of them are in constant use, sometimes there are no tasks for them, or they are only used for jobs that not everyone else likes. And: your commitment will be taken for granted. “There is no prospect of replacing us there, on the contrary, the request for administrative assistance will probably be extended,” the soldier complained. “Actually, some comrades have been gone for months.” The rule is that deployed personnel are released from administrative assistance approximately every three weeks and replaced with new personnel on a “rotating system.” But members of the military, actually stationed as emergency helpers when there are no civilian helpers, are now scheduled for the operation for months.
Defense Commissioner Högl: “I can’t stay like this long term”
A point that the Commissioner of the Armed Forces Högl also sees critically: the Bundeswehr helps where it is asked. “In many places it is about more than support; it is not uncommon for soldiers to maintain operations in health offices, in vaccination centers. It cannot remain that way in the long term.” What is needed is an open and honest discussion on how we can achieve better resource management in crisis situations of the future. “For the Bundeswehr, administrative assistance means a considerable burden in addition to basic operations and various operational burdens.”
In Thuringia, the Association of Health Insurance Physicians (KV) is responsible for the operation of vaccination centers and can currently number 100 members of the Bundeswehr. To gradually replace them with civilian check-in helpers, another 200 people would have to be recruited, according to a t-online spokeswoman. It is a “huge logistical effort”, but KV is making an “absolute” effort. At the same time, it is planning more vaccination centers in Thuringia, where the Bundeswehr should also help. These are forces readily available to KV, but cost savings don’t matter: KV is already drawing up invoices for the state of Thuringia. The first of more than four million euros for the preparations and operation from November to February falls to the state.
Soldiers should not save resources for other agencies
The competent Bundeswehr agencies have little idea whether it really would not function without soldiers: “The procedure for the possible recruitment of civilians who could possibly take over the tasks of the Bundeswehr is outside the competence of the Bundeswehr,” said the following speaker. Administrative assistance should not be given to “save another authority the resources and expenses necessary for its tasks.” In applications, it must be made clear that the requesting body is not in a position to carry out the official act on its own.
Soldiers are also apparently welcome among visitors to vaccination centers. Citizens often turned to uniformed people when they expected help, the soldier happily reports on Reddit. Apparently, candidates for vaccination expect competent help there. But: You often can’t answer people’s questions because the information flow is so poor.
After the vaccines with the drug Astrazeneca were suspended, he learned from a patient who received a text message from KV on his cell phone in front of the door, how things are going to proceed: “That appointments should not be replaced, but that must be replaced. ” vaccinated with a different vaccine that we didn’t even have. “Those responsible at the top would do their best, but they often have no management experience. And the KV acts according to the principle of” leadership through the advantage of knowledge”.
KV: We would like to clarify directly
The KV spokeswoman regrets that the criticisms are anonymous, so any problems could not be clarified directly with the soldier. “We cannot understand the criticism of the transmission of information, since the vaccination centers receive information on how to proceed several times a week.” Is it true that two soldiers secure operations from 7 am to 8 pm, seven days a week? “We have no influence on the total number of soldiers who support us, we only request one number per shift for seven days a week.” Responsibility is shifted from one side to the other.
The Bundeswehr Armed Forces Base Command considers guaranteed “that it is possible to react to information on the ground at short notice, if administrative assistance can be optimized”. Administrative assistance operations would be “closely monitored and advised by superiors, helping to supervise the service.” Means: If there are problems at the vaccination center, soldiers should contact their superiors at any time. That often brings a quick fix, the defense officer explains. However, cases have already reached him in which he asked the ministry to end the grievances or unequal treatment.
Advance payment for food and lodging?
The Reddit post soldier would also be such a case if he addressed the military commissioner with his name and a description of the compensation for his costs allegedly rejected – the commissioner of the armed forces could not do anything anonymously. Apparently, the KV canceled the promised compensation for the food and the hotel. “Then you can pay in advance and discuss with the Bundeswehr service center (the former administration of the site, editor’s note) why the only open hotel in the city was now too expensive,” he writes.
The Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians clearly rejects this: “That is not correct. The KV provides free food or pays for food and provides free accommodation,” the spokeswoman said. The Armed Forces Base command also states: “Bundeswehr forces providing administrative assistance never have to pay accommodation costs out of their own pocket on site.” The agencies involved could apply to the Bundeswehr for reimbursement of accommodation costs. The Bundeswehr is checking this and determining the amount of the refund.
That should also be one of the small problems of the pandemic.
