Urgent healthcare in Oberhausen: meeting about the future!

Urgent healthcare in Oberhausen: meeting about the future!

On Wednesday, August 27, 2025, an important event on outpatient healthcare will take place in Oberhausen. This discussion aims to address the shift in health care services from the inpatient to the outpatient sector. In view of the current lack of outpatient services, this event will be held in the DGB-Haus Oberhausen, Friedrich-Karl-Straße 24, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Health policy experts from the council factions, as well as Dr. Charlotte Weber, Head of Health for the City of Oberhausen. Participants are asked to confirm their participation by email to kontakt@gesundheitsbuendnis-ob.de by August 13, 2025. The organizers would like to address the impending shortage of doctors to provide care, especially given the impending retirement of many doctors who cannot find successors. The aim is to avoid the impending shortage of supplies for the population.

In this context, local political initiatives that are intended to have a positive influence on citizens' health care are also being discussed. Solutions are urgently needed as the decline in practicing physicians and the ongoing challenges in outpatient care are becoming noticeable.

Legal changes and their effects

In parallel to the challenges in Oberhausen, the legislature is planning changes in the primary care sector that could have a significant impact on outpatient care. According to the new Section 116a Paragraph 3 SGB V, the reactivation or opening of planning areas should be possible in the future without a separate determination of an undersupply. These provisions allow cross-sectoral pension schemes to apply for a permanent authorization, provided that the applications are submitted properly.

While these legal innovations aim to improve care in underdeveloped areas, there are also concerns about distorting the current competitive situation. In particular, there are fears that the opportunity to work in cross-sector institutions will deter young doctors from becoming contract doctors. The German Medical Association then demanded that further training in these institutions must be based on the medical training regulations.

Future of outpatient care

Although the new regulations aim to respond more quickly to changing healthcare needs, this could worsen the situation for practicing physicians. The possibility of a third-party objection by practicing physicians to authorizations granted could lead to additional tensions between the various actors in the healthcare system. The legislator is pursuing specific goals with the changes, but it remains to be seen whether these will actually lead to an improvement in the outpatient care landscape or whether they will further increase competition for skilled workers.

The challenges facing outpatient healthcare require joint action by all those involved. While the event in Oberhausen offers a platform for discussions, the development of the legal framework will also be crucial for how the supply situation will develop in the region and across Germany. Participants at the event can expect an exciting and necessary exchange about future challenges and solutions in healthcare.

Further information about the event can be found on the website verdi can be accessed while background information on the legal changes can be found on the website the resident doctor can be found.