Montgomery new president of the BÄK

03.06.2011 17:13

Demographic developments, a shortage of doctors, the amendment of the fee schedule and reductions in bureaucracy in the healthcare system - for Dr. Frank Ulrich Montgomery, these are the most important challenges and tasks that politics and the medical profession must overcome together. The 114th German Medical Association in Kiel today elected the 59-year-old radiologist as the new President of the German Medical Association (BÄK).

Montgomery is the successor to Prof. Dr. Jörg-Dietrich Hoppe, who no longer ran for this office after twelve years as President of the German Medical Association. Montgomery announced before the medical parliament that he wanted to fight for an improvement in the material basis of medical work in clinics and practices as well as for better working conditions for doctors. “We now need working conditions in which family and job are compatible. And we must finally eliminate the bureaucratic sprawl to clear the way for doctors and patients again,” said Montgomery.

Montgomery described the amendment of the medical fee schedule (GOÄ) as an urgent task. “We finally need the reform of the GOÄ. And in this legislative period, without an opening clause and on the basis of the economically calculated proposal submitted by the BÄK.” The medical profession will also be involved in the parliamentary deliberations on the Care Structure Act. “Even though the coalition has included important suggestions from the medical profession in its legislative initiative, we still need to make changes. Above all, we want the competencies of the medical associations to be taken into account when planning requirements, promoting general medicine and the planned redesign of medical studies.”

Montgomery, long-time chairman of the Marburger Bund, also spoke out in favor of greater involvement of medical associations in the work of the German Medical Association. “We need to improve communication and participation among medical organizations. We need to be able to make decisions more quickly, but on a broader basis. We have to strengthen our presence in the political space and increase the timing of our decisions,” said Montgomery.