Lauterbach wants to minimize damage from mask purchases

Lauterbach wants to minimize damage from mask purchases

0 Comments

/May tree

Berlin – Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) wants to keep the billions of dollars in risks to the federal government as a result of mask purchases at the beginning of the corona crisis as low as possible. “I am working on minimizing the damage,” the SPD politician said today after a special meeting of the Bundestag’s Health Committee.

He said he believed that a maximum damage of 2.3 billion euros could be averted, referring to the value of the current lawsuit. Lauterbach said that after a legal defeat at the Cologne Higher Regional Court, the federal government was requesting an examination by the Federal Court of Justice.

He believes that the legal opinion of the Federal Ministry of Health will ultimately prevail. However, he admitted that “a very vulnerable procedure” had been chosen at the time, which is why there are now disputes. The minister once again assured full transparency.

The background to this are contracts at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, when masks were in short supply but urgently needed. In order to get masks for the health care system more quickly, the ministry, which was headed by Jens Spahn (CDU) at the time, used a special procedure called the open house procedure. Supply contracts were concluded at fixed prices without further negotiations.

In many cases, the department later refused to pay and claimed quality defects. Suppliers then filed suit. Lawsuits have been filed in around 100 cases from ongoing disputes, with a total value of 2.3 billion euros, the ministry announced.

Most recently, the Bundestag and the Budget Committee also dealt with the mask deals. Both times, Spahn commented on them and explained his view of things. In essence, he defended his actions at the time.

The MPs used the opportunity today to ask numerous questions, including about the controversial open-house procedure, contracts, individual suppliers, the possible amount of damage, the destruction of inferior masks and comparisons with companies.

In many cases, Lauterbach referred to the ongoing investigation and ongoing proceedings. At the same time, he expressed confidence that Germany would be better prepared for possible future pandemics. The parliamentarians expressed varying degrees of satisfaction with the answers.

“Tax money was literally burned through the mask deals and Federal Health Minister Lauterbach is stonewalling instead of pushing for transparent clarification,” said Ates Gürpinar, spokesman for hospital and care policy, Die Linke group. “He was unable or unwilling to answer many of the MPs’ questions. This treatment of parliament and the tax money entrusted to the BMG is disrespectful.”

Green Party health expert Janosch Dahmen said after the committee meeting that the impression was that the regular parliamentary instruments used to date had not been sufficient to clarify the matter. “We will therefore have to talk about setting up a committee of inquiry into the mask affair.” Dahmen pointed out, among other things, several unresolved questions about the awarding of a contract to a logistics company at the time.

FDP health politician Kristine Lütke also said that more questions remained unanswered than answers had been given – for example, when it came to commissioning the logistics company. A committee of inquiry “would be one possibility,” said Lütke. At the same time, however, she reiterated the call for a Bundestag commission of inquiry to intensively examine “the overall picture of the decisions” in the pandemic.

Lauterbach himself said that he had always thought the procedure used was wrong, even in other contexts. On the other hand, one must see that it was an emergency at the time. Now there is full transparency, including regarding the role of the logistician. “Everything will be clarified.”

“From our group’s point of view, it is clearly in all of our interests to bring maximum transparency to the proceedings and to reject the demands on the table to the greatest extent possible,” explained Heike Baehrens, health policy spokeswoman for the SPD parliamentary group, when asked.

It is good that Minister Lauterbach has made it clear that in a similar situation today we would be much better prepared because the procedures between the federal government and the states are better coordinated.

“The attempt by parts of the traffic light coalition to hold a mock tribunal has failed miserably,” said Tino Sorge (CDU), health policy spokesman for the Union parliamentary group, following today’s meeting. After all, it was the Green party leaders who had “loudly” called for many times the usual supplies of masks and protective equipment in 2020.

“Back then, they couldn’t get the masks fast enough,” said Sorge. Today’s meeting in the Health Committee confirmed for him that during the acute phase of the pandemic there was broad agreement among all established parties that masks and other protective materials had to be procured with the highest priority. The entire federal cabinet at the time was involved in this.

“In the current proceedings, the Federal Ministry of Health says it is continuing its previous litigation strategy and sees good prospects for success. It is obvious that parts of the traffic light coalition had a vested interest in this special session. It is no coincidence that it is in the immediate vicinity of the establishment of the investigative committee on the Habeck files,” said Sorge. © dpa/may/bee/aerzteblatt.de

#Lauterbach #minimize #damage #mask #purchases

Leave a Reply

Related Posts