Rheumatologists in need: patients are facing long waiting times!

Rheumatologists in need: patients are facing long waiting times!

In Lower Saxony there are currently only 54 resident rheumatologists, which strongly endangers the medical care of the patients. Prof. Dr. Dirk Meyer-Olson, one of the few rheumatologists in Bad Pyrmont, plans to move his practice to the Ruhr area at the end of June 2024. This lack of specialists forces patients to be referred to other cities such as Höxter, Rinteln, Hanover or Hildesheim in order to receive adequate treatment. The Lower Saxony Association (KVN) reports a high demand for rheumatologists and the associated difficulties to find appointments.

During the need for rheumatologists, the number of doctors who train in this area is strongly decreasing. Many hospitals have also closed their rheumatological departments because they are considered less profitable. Prof. Meyer-Olson was a co-author of a memorandum that demands better courses in rheumatology. According to Dr. Zimny can be treated about 85% of cases without a specialist, while 15% need special therapies by rheumatologists.

The national Situation

The lack of rheumatologists not only represents a problem in Lower Saxony, but also endangers the entire medical care in Germany. The German Society for Rheumatology (DGRH) points out that there are currently only 750 internal rheumatologists, while at least 1,350 are required. In particular, rheumatoid arthritis, with 60,000 to 70,000 new cases per year, is often diagnosed too late. On average, nine months pass for those affected to receive a diagnosis, while some patients with rare forms of rheumatism have to wait for several years.

The DGRH calls for an increase in rheumatological training positions, since the current financing of further training in clinics is based on patient care and flat rates, which leads to an unequal distribution of these areas. These problems in further training also affect other specialist areas, whereby the DGRH emphasizes that the care of patients should not only be oriented according to financial aspects, but also according to actual needs. Innovative concepts for further training are made more difficult by the current financing structure, which also makes the situation complicated.

Overall, it can be seen that the supply of rheumatologists in Germany urgently needs to be improved in order to meet the increasing requirements, such as dewezet.de and aerzteblatt.de report.