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Mainz The delegates to the 128th German Doctors’ Day have asked the board of the Federal Medical Association (BK) to discuss possible changes to the organization of future German Doctors’ Days. In particular, the proposal to shorten the length of the plenary session was controversially discussed.

The starting point was partly contradictory assessments by the delegates from the various chamber districts: While some complained that they were not able to deal with the large number of proposals in sufficient detail during the four-day conference, others spoke in favor of a shortening of the meeting by one day.

For many practicing doctors, participation would involve considerable effort and hardship. A shortening would therefore be much easier to reconcile with your practice, argued Detlef Merchel from the Westphalia-Lippe Medical Association (KWL).

In contrast, it was objected that the current time was not enough to adequately discuss the existing proposals. Given the flood of applications, I do not see myself in a position to assess everything that is requested, admitted the Bavarian delegate Susanne Bubitz.

We often make decisions here whose implications we don’t understand because we haven’t been able to discuss them, explained Michael Hubmann, also from Bavaria. You cannot make this accusation against the members of the Bundestag if you yourself are no better.

A reform of the process is necessary so that we are perceived as a voice at the grassroots level, Bubitz explained. If we want to be taken seriously at the grassroots level, we have to change something. For example, hybrid models to supplement the on-site plenary session would be conceivable, which would also bring the advantage of financial savings.

The discussion in the plenum is the royal discipline, emphasized BK board member Andreas Botzlar. At most, one could consider meeting twice a year, but shorter each time.

Wieland Dietrich from the North Rhine Medical Association (KNO) also asserted that he sees no basis for shortening the doctor’s day. It would be more important to explain topics and applications in more detail in advance in the state medical associations.

The rejection of the introduction of application deadlines ultimately showed that there was generally a great need for discussion. Shortly before, a motion to this effect had failed in the vote. At the same time, any virtual extension would be equally ineffective.

Lars Bodammer from the Hesse Medical Association (LKH) advocated going one level deeper. For example, one could consider a regulation according to which agenda items must be completed in one go and may not be extended to the following day. Then there will be no greyhound racing for the applications on the last day, he said.

A motion to shorten the German Doctors’ Day was then postponed with the majority of the delegates’ votes. BK President Klaus Reinhardt was satisfied with this: Possible changes could then be properly processed by discussing them in detail in the state medical associations.

A motion calling on the Federal Medical Association to use gender-sensitive wording in its statutes and rules of procedure received a narrow but surprising majority for many delegates. It says that no person of any gender identity should be linguistically excluded.

The statutes of the Federal Medical Association and the rules of procedure of the German Medical Association define, beyond their normative function, the culture and self-image of the Federal Medical Association and the German medical profession, the application continues. It is all the more important that they address all doctors equally and that this is expressed in a way that all doctors can understand through the use of gender-sensitive wording. © lau/aerzteblatt.de