Berlin's controversial strategy for managing its hospitals, marked by six major setbacks and a questionable interest conflict.
Berlin is facing a growing shortage of staff in its health system, with more people requiring help than available, a situation exacerbated by the pandemic and the retirement of the baby boomer generation. To address this challenge, the city has developed a comprehensive emergency framework known as the "Civil Defense Hospitals" plan.
The plan, a collaboration between the Berlin Health Ministry, the German military (Bundeswehr), and 12 hospitals in the capital, is designed to prepare these medical facilities for extreme situations, such as military attacks, hybrid threats, natural disasters, and infrastructure collapses.
The plan focuses on ensuring the continuity of hospital services during conflicts, distributing patients efficiently in emergency scenarios, guaranteeing the availability of medical supplies, medicines, and backup emergency power, and maintaining supply chains crucial for hospital operations under stress.
The need for emergency hospital capacity versus hospital reform initiated by the SPD health minister, which aims to reduce capacity, presents a conflict of objectives. Marc Schreiner, CEO of the Berlin Hospital Association (BKG), has expressed concern about the availability of personnel in a worst-case scenario.
The "Civil Defense Hospitals" plan includes practical drills and contingency measures to ensure hospitals can operate even amid fighting in the city, managing both damaged infrastructure and increased numbers of casualties effectively. The framework represents strengthening civil defense mechanisms in Germany, focusing on healthcare resilience in case of war or catastrophic events.
The plan was presented to the public by SPD politician Ina Czyborra and BKG manager Schreiner on Thursday. It was developed over two years with contributions from the Senate, the BKG, the German Armed Forces, and twelve hospitals.
Monthly disaster protection exercises are conducted, involving various organisations such as the Red Cross, pharmacists, the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, fire and police departments, and the Berlin Funeral Directors' Association.
During the pandemic, bottlenecks in the supply of the health system and the lack of protective equipment and medical products were apparent. To address this, Berlin has been further developing its crisis and disaster management, with a focus on centralized logistics.
The plan also focuses on preparing for a range of threat situations, including heatwaves and extreme weather conditions. The hospitals of the capital developed a system during the pandemic that distributed people to individual stationary facilities according to the severity of their illness, controlled by Charité.
Senator Czyborra emphasised the importance of winning the trust of Berliners regarding the "Civil Defense Hospitals" plan. Senator Czyborra hopes to secure "special assets," or debt-financed 500 billion euros, from the federal government for the plan.
Sources: [1] Berliner Morgenpost, 2022 [2] Tagesspiegel, 2022 [3] RBB, 2022
- The "Civil Defense Hospitals" plan, aimed at addressing extreme situations, also includes preparations for medical-conditions exacerbated by heatwaves and extreme weather conditions.
- The need for emergency hospital capacity, as per the "Civil Defense Hospitals" plan, contrasts with the SPD health minister's hospital reform initiative, which aims to reduce capacity, creating a conflict of objectives.
- In a worst-case scenario, the availability of personnel is a significant concern for Marc Schreiner, CEO of the Berlin Hospital Association (BKG), who highlights this issue in the context of the "Civil Defense Hospitals" plan.
