Overview

• Over 240 general practitioner and specialist positions remain unfilled in Sachsen-Anhalt, with 12 vacancies in Bitterfeld-Wolfen alone.
• Patients face up to eight-month wait times for specialist care, with some practices ceasing to accept new patients entirely.
• A newly opened eye-care practice in Bitterfeld-Wolfen offered appointments only in-person during a restrictive two-hour window, leading to hours-long queues of mostly elderly patients.
• Images of seniors waiting in four-deep lines sparked public outrage, with social media users condemning the healthcare system's failures.
• Health Minister Karl Lauterbach's proposed reforms aim to address systemic issues, but implementation delays have left rural areas struggling with acute access gaps.