In 2022, the Council and Lord Mayor launched a funding guideline to promote the establishment of GPs and the maintenance and modernization of the corresponding practices, to enable practice takeovers and thus to stabilize and improve the strained supply in the GP sector. Each year, €250,000 is earmarked in the municipal budget as a subsidy for this purpose. "In view of the tight budgetary situation, this is a remarkable but also necessary feat," emphasizes Lord Mayor Frank Klingebiel.

The six GP surgeries being funded with sums of between around 10,000 and 80,000 euros include different types of funding. For example, conversion requirements when taking over a GP practice and the expansion of GP capacities in another practice are also supported, as is the procurement of modern medical equipment when taking over a practice. In one case, the further training of a doctor to become a general practitioner is supported.

"Especially when practices are taken over, it often turns out that the practice premises no longer meet today's requirements, just like the existing outdated medical equipment," says Dirk Härdrich, Head of the Health Department.

Mayor Klingebiel is convinced that the funding will continue to contribute to the stabilization of GP care for the population in Salzgitter. "Even if it is not our job, as a municipality we see ourselves as having a responsibility towards our citizens," he says.

This voluntary municipal funding instrument is currently necessary, but the establishment of doctors is originally the responsibility of the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians of Lower Saxony.

However, the municipalities cannot always act as "cleaners" if other responsible parties are unable to ensure the provision of care. "This overburdens the municipalities in the long term," Klingebiel clarifies, "The system must be realigned in the long term, primarily by the responsible players: the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, the Medical Association and the state of Lower Saxony.

Efforts must be made to ensure that, on the one hand, more young people are prepared to take on the long and very overloaded medical studies and the subsequent specialist medical training and, on the other hand, that lateral entry is made easier. Only then can general practitioner and specialist care for people in the area be guaranteed in the long term," concluded Klingebiel.