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Health & ageing well
Anyone who’s ever tried to book an appointment with their GP will be familiar with the problem. A mayor doesn’t run a surgery. But she’s a facilitator who paves the way.
The problem
According to figures from the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, Papenburg is short 16 general practitioner positions. By calculation, up to 27,000 people do not have a regular general practitioner, out of a population of approximately 37,000. Many doctors will be retiring in the coming years. Summits and roundtables identify the problem, but they don’t produce a single new doctor.
Here’s exactly how I do it
- › Enable new practices and healthcare centres to be set up, rather than hindering them with red tape.
- › Actively recruit doctors and nursing staff and make it easy for them to set up practice.
- › Expand the Papenburg campus and the training of healthcare professionals.
- › Strengthen local care provision so that carers can see a future here.
- › Shade, safe routes and meeting places to help older people stay at home comfortably.