Bavarian doctors began a two-day strike to air their concerns about the German government's policies. They  will refuse to see patients during that time.

According to a Bavarian physicians' association, between 6,000 and 7,000 doctors will close their clinical practices. The doctors are unhappy with Health Minister Philipp Rösler’s plans to dock bonus payments from their contracts.

The cuts, which would reportedly amount to hundreds of millions of euros, threaten the livelihood of doctors, head of the association Dr. Wolfgang Hoppenthaller said in a statement.

Lack of security

“We general practitioners are there for our patients evenings, weekends, and at home – and in doing so offer qualitatively high-value care,” he said. “We no longer have economic planning security and aren’t finding successors for our practices.”

The protest is an attempt to fight against the changes to doctor pay scale autonomy and keeping Bavaria’s medical structure intact, he added. Any previously signed contracts and regulations should remain valid, the association insisted.

“Our protest is not aimed at our patients,” Hoppenthaller said. “Even if health insurers and politicians try everything to describe it otherwise.”

The action is seen as a likely prelude to similar protests brewing in other states. But the Health Ministry rejected the doctors’ concerns on Thursday.

“The fears that the association leaders are fanning are unfounded,” a ministry spokesperson said, adding that the centre-right government coalition actually planned to strengthen the services provided by general practitioners. “Incidentally the general practitioner contracts enjoy the right to continuance. That is the case in Bavaria,” he said.

Agencies