German doctors' president slams health reforms:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
German federal health minister Ulla Schmidt has reacted furiously to claims by the president of the German doctors chamber (BAK), Jorg Dietrich Hoppe, that her health reforms have seriously reduced the number of procedures on offer. "There will soon be regions where people should not go [for treatment], because none will be available," he told delegates to the German doctors' congress in Bremen this week. Professor Hoppe added that the diagnosis related groups (DRG) system for hospital reimbursement was encouraging specialisation, which meant that many hospitals could not longer offer a broad spectrum of procedures, and added that the reforms were promoting "medical care for the rich". Ms Schmidt has denied the allegations and demanded an apology.