The Thuringian state associations of statutory health insurance funds and substitute health insurance funds, the Thuringian State Hospital Association, the Thuringian Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, and the Thuringian State Medical Association have jointly presented their "Vision 2030 for Medical Care in Thuringia" to Heike Werner, the Thuringian Minister for Labor, Social Affairs, Health, Women, and Family. This vision outlines how the future healthcare landscape can develop from the authors' perspective. In addition to high-quality care, it includes efficient healthcare structures, comprehensive and needs-based care, and attractive working conditions. Furthermore, the vision outlines the necessary criteria and provides clear guidance on how to make Thuringia's healthcare landscape future-proof, for which, in the authors' opinion, the legal framework must be established. All decision-makers are called upon to support the implementation of this vision through the corresponding legislation at the state and federal levels.

The authors of the vision statement want to ensure that the state embarks on a path of transformation. The stakeholders agree that the existing tiered healthcare system should be continued. However, health centers should serve as the hub of regional healthcare in the future, while acknowledging that rural hospitals are important partners in the healthcare system, especially for providing basic care close to home. The authors state: "There are many good ideas,
“Smaller hospital locations should also be used for outpatient care in the future.” This would allow hospitals to serve as a point of contact for patients, where doctors, physiotherapists, nursing staff and other professional groups are connected.
The newly established health centers would also be easily accessible to the population, ensure local emergency care, and have a limited number of beds. Furthermore, changing work environments would open up new perspectives for doctors and nurses. While the legal framework is still lacking, discussions in many regions have shown the great need to allow more flexible care models, initially through pilot projects, for example. The demand to create suitable legal foundations for this is directed to the parliamentarians in the Free State of Thuringia, but also extends to Berlin.
from:
MVF editor-in-chief Peter Stegmaier