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HEALTH

Germany debates Covid masks in the health sector during flu season

With the number of Covid cases rising in recent weeks, and with the cold and flu season coming soon, the topic of wearing face masks is surfacing in Germany again.

Published: 1 September 2023 10:11 CEST
A face mask lies among the autumn leaves.
A face mask lies among the autumn leaves. (Photo by Christof STACHE / AFP)

Throughout the Covid pandemic, face masks were often mandatory in Germany, including on public transport and in hospitals and doctor’s practices. 

There are no plans to bring back Covid restrictions, however, health experts in Germany are considering whether recommending masks again in some areas would make sense. 

Health policy spokesman for the Greens parliamentary group, Janosch Dahmen, has spoken out in favour of wearing face masks, at least in some situations, during the colder months. 

“In order to protect yourself from acute respiratory diseases, it may make sense to wear a protective mask in care facilities, clinics and other parts of the healthcare system this autumn,” Dahmen told the editorial network Germany (RND).

He is concerned about the situation in the southern hemisphere, where the number of infections with flu and Covid-19 has increased significantly over their winter.

“There are increasing indications that the burden in the healthcare system due to acute respiratory infections could rise significantly again in the coming autumn/winter season,” said Dahmen.

READ ALSO: German doctors urge Covid-19 self-test amid new variant 

Dahmen said authorities would need to monitor the Covid situation closely. 

“It is important to keep a close eye on the early warning systems here… in order to detect a critical increase early on,” he said.

Older people and at-risk groups are being advised to keep-up-to date with their vaccinations and talk to their doctor about the possibility of top-up Covid and flu jabs.

Meanwhile, the President of the German Medical Association, Klaus Reinhardt, has spoken out against the idea of compulsory masks this autumn and winter, saying there is no reason for concern.

Reinhardt said during the colder seasons an increase in respiratory infections is to be expected. He said there likely would be tense situations in doctors’ offices and hospitals due to the combination of Covid-19, flu and the RS virus.

He urged for people to take personal responsibility which could involve wearing a mask if they felt it was needed – rather than calling for obligatory face coverings.

Gerald Gaß, the chairman of the German Hospital Association said staff were noticing the rise in infections – but said it wasn’t at the stage of a new Covid wave.

“There are higher infection figures again, there are also more Covid-positive tested patients in intensive care units,” Gaß told the Rheinische Post at the beginning of this week.

What’s the big picture on Covid in Germany?

There has been a slight increase in the number of reported Covid cases in Germany for about seven weeks. However, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) says incidence levels “remain very low”.

Meanwhile, the Corona-Warn-App, which everyone in Germany was encouraged to download to monitor infections, is currently in sleep mode.

At the beginning of June, data collection was suspended. The function for warnings after a positive test was switched off on May 1st due to the relaxed situation. 

The app has cost the German government more than €200 million so far, according to the Health Ministry. 

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HEALTH

How to find available therapists in Germany

It’s no secret that mental health care can be particularly tricky to access in Germany. Here are some helpful tips for anyone who is struggling to book an appointment for therapy.

Published: 23 April 2024 12:55 CEST
How to find available therapists in Germany

The process to find psychotherapy in Germany’s urban centres is arduous – licensed therapists often have impossibly long wait times, and private practices don’t accept public health insurance.

A major reason that public insurance funded mental health care is hard to find in Germany comes down to regulations. Specifically the ‘coverage plan’ (Bedarfsplanung) that basically limits the number of licences available for publicly insured therapists in a region.

Germany’s maddening bureaucracy probably won’t be fixed any time soon. So residents in need of therapy will need to find a way through the system as it is.

So here are a few helpful tips for finding therapists, as well as how publicly insured patients can have private practice therapy costs reimbursed.

Look for therapists enrolled at academies

You’ll probably have a better chance getting an appointment with therapists who are currently in training, because not everyone knows that this option exists.

You can search for “Akademie für Psychotherapie”, to find one in your location. The Berliner Akademie für Psychotherapie, is one in the capital city, for example.

If you arrange an appointment this way, you can expect to be connected with a grad student therapist in training who needs to complete their supervised practice hours. In this case, you would see your therapist as usual, and they will be going through your session with an experienced therapist afterward.

The main advantages to seeking a therapist in training is that it may be cheaper and you can probably more readily find an appointment. A potential disadvantage is that the therapist you’ll be seeing is less experienced. 

But according to a Stockholm University study, student therapists who receive regular feedback from supervisors may be just as effective as licensed therapists at treating patients.

How to get reimbursed for going to a private practice

As mentioned above, therapists covered by public health insurance are few and far between, especially in many urban centres, and therefore regularly come with long wait times. But for those willing to do battle with the bureaucracy, there is an option to have your costs reimbursed for seeing a private practice therapist.

Specifically, public insurance providers are obligated to provide full reimbursement of costs in the event of a “supply emergency”. 

Waiting times of more than three months are considered unreasonable. So generally, patients can claim a supply emergency if they have contacted several therapists, and none of them offered available appointments within that time frame.

But you’ll want to make sure that your process is properly documented so that you won’t be stuck with the out-of-pocket costs.

First, you’ll need to document your need for psychotherapy. To get this, make an appointment for a psychotherapeutic consultation with a practice in your area, and be sure to collect a written recommendation for treatment (a PTV 11 form). 

If you don’t know where to start with this, look to the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (Kassenärztliche Vereinigung) for a database of therapists. You can also call 116 117 or use the 116 117 App.

After you’ve got your PTV 11 certificate, you’ll need to document your futile search for a licensed therapist. To do this, contact at least three to five therapists that have public health insurance approval. Keep a list of the names of therapists you contacted, as well as dates and times of contact and how long the waiting list for treatment is. 

Additionally, you should try to arrange treatment through the aforementioned Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, and receive confirmation if it’s not possible. So you’ll need to call 116 117, or use the 116 117 App again. But this time go through the process to have them try to find you placement with a therapist. This should take a maximum of four weeks, but rarely happens.

Finally, if you have documented all of the above and have still not found a readily available therapist, then you can seek out a private practice. You’ll need to enroll as a self-paying patient initially, but then you can submit an application for an outpatient reimbursement (Kostenerstattungsverfahren) along with the previously collected certificates and proof of your search. Private practice therapists are usually familiar with this process, and may be able to help you with the application as well.

READ ALSO: What are the main reasons internationals in Germany turn to therapy?

Free phone consultations for students

Students in Berlin can also take advantage of a free 50-minute conversation with a therapist through StudierendenWERK.

For students elsewhere, it’s worth checking what kind of mental health support services your school offers. Many German universities offer mental health support to some extent, and if school counsellors can’t provide the care that you need, they may be able to offer helpful information about where such services are available in your area.

READ ALSO: Here’s how you can get mental health help in English in Germany

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