Berlin Fewer doctors in rich districts

Many Berlin districts lack medical and specialist physicians

11/10/2013

In Berlin, doctors are missing especially in the districts where the average household income tends to be lower. For this reason, the Kassenärztliche Vereinigung, the Health Senate and the health insurance have pulled the ripcord and prevented settling in areas with a high social index. This is intended to compensate for the uneven distribution of physicians in Berlin.

Rich districts more sales
Many doctors want to open their practice, especially in wealthier Berlin districts. They hope that more private patients and higher revenues through hedgehog services. Health insurance companies, the Senate and the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians have now decided more that doctors are only allowed to settle in poorly medical districts.

Exactly 80 doctors moved to Berlin within the last year to practice in better-off areas. Now the Senate wants to tempt the doctors rather to pull in so-called problem districts like Neukölln. There, the supply density is about 50 percent. For comparison: in Berlin-Charlottenburg the density is about 160 percent.

Many doctors nevertheless lack of doctors
About 9000 doctors and physiotherapists practice in Berlin. Compared to other cities, the capital is actually well equipped. „Not the number of doctors but the distribution is the problem“, admonishes the head of the national association of the Ersatzkassen Gabriella Leyh. Although it may be that fewer doctors move because they do not want to practice in socially weaker districts, but the Senate was forced to take this drastic step, because the distribution of doctors in Berlin was very uneven, Leyh defends the decision. Otherwise, a fairer distribution of doctors in Berlin is currently not possible.

However, new doctors will not give it because of the approval stop. Doctors who retire hand over their approval to a descendant or colleagues in a joint practice.

Clear criticism comes from some doctors. Some have already filed lawsuits, as reported by the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians. Nevertheless, the association also expects visible results by 2015. Until then, the distribution within Berlin should be fairer.

Furthermore, those responsible plan to implement further reforms from 2015 onwards. From this point on, the calculation bases of the degree of supply should be renewed. Factors such as the number of inhabitants and the average age should in future be combined with the labels unemployment and housing.

The link between social status and health is supported by numerous studies. A recent study showed that poorer people die about five years earlier. According to the authors of the study, this would also be due to the uneven medical care. Also, richer people become less ill because, for example, they have better financial access to healthier foods. In exposed regions there are more doctors but fewer patients. (Sb)