The German Association of General Practitioners has accused the federal government of failing to provide adequate heat protection. "The federal government is abandoning medical practices when it comes to heat protection," said association chairwoman Nicola Buhlinger-Göpfarth to the newspapers of the Funke Media Group on Saturday. "Years of announcements that the issue of heat protection would finally be prioritized have not been followed by any action."
"Politicians must finally live up to their responsibility and act on heat protection, instead of limiting themselves to publishing one statement of intent after another every time it gets hot," Buhlinger-Göpfarth emphasised. She recalled that the previous federal government had already announced a comprehensive package of measures on heat protection three years ago. Among other things, this had included reimbursing medical consultations during heatwaves conducted by GP practices.
"To date, virtually nothing has happened," the association chair criticised. She noted that as soon as summer was over, the issue had repeatedly disappeared from the political agenda.
In view of the current heatwave, the association sees elderly people and those with chronic illnesses as being in particular danger. Structured consultations in GP practices and care homes are therefore essential, the association stated. This goes beyond general advice to drink enough fluids or avoid the midday heat. Medications often need to be reviewed or adjusted, and patients need to be informed about how to store heat-sensitive medicines such as insulin correctly.
"This is not trivial and takes time," said Buhlinger-Göpfarth. Many people depend on the support of their GP practice in this regard. She called on the federal government to finally use the current heatwave as the impetus for concrete measures: "Properly funded heat protection consultations in practices would be the minimum. At the same time, care homes in particular must be put in a position to adequately protect their residents from the heat."
Germany's national weather service, the DWD (Deutscher Wetterdienst), is expecting the current heatwave to reach its peak over the weekend. A new June record was already set on Friday, with temperatures hitting 41.1 degrees Celsius in Saarbrücken.
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