In view of the overcrowding in clinics, the German Association of Cities has appealed to resident doctors to keep their practices open longer. "Please consider keeping your practices open after 6 p.m., on Saturdays and Sundays and on public holidays," said general manager Helmut Dedy to the newspapers of the Funke media group.

Children's clinics, the emergency departments of the hospitals and the rescue services worked "at the limit". It is to be feared that the already very critical situation will worsen over Christmas and New Year's Eve.

The hospitals now need "more legroom" - especially with bureaucratic requirements. "Sanctions for violations of staffing requirements, documentation requirements or the provision of intensive care beds must be temporarily suspended," he demanded. In the case of simple illnesses, patients should dial the outpatient emergency care number of the resident doctors, 116117, and not the number 112 of the local emergency services. This is only for real emergencies.

In addition to corona, other respiratory diseases such as the RS viruses in children are currently causing many serious infections and overloaded clinics. According to the German Hospital Society, almost every tenth clinic employee is currently ill himself. Also, some medicines, including fever syrup for children, are in short supply due to various reasons. Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) therefore announced yesterday that the supply of important medicines, especially for children, should be better secured against supply bottlenecks.