“People are operated on dead”Streeck took action to stop therapy for the elderly
In the debate over rising costs in the health system, CDU politician Streeck polarized society with proposals to save money on therapy for the very elderly. After criticizing this, he explains: Ignoring treatment can also mean caring.
CDU health politician Hendrik Streeck has taken up the debate over medical care for the elderly and called for a rethink in the health system and more focus on the human needs of patients. “In an aging society, how do we combine what people need with what our innovations allow – and what is dignified? It’s not about saving, but about saving something: how do we accompany them responsibly in the last phases of their lives – instead of giving them too much based on the wrong incentives,” wrote Streeck in a guest article for the “Rheinische Post”.
“The reflex is often: prolonging life is always the highest goal. But anyone who has seen very elderly people fighting for their lives in an intensive care unit knows: not everything that is medically possible is also humanely justifiable,” Streeck said. “If the probability of dying is greater than the probability of recovery, then neither costs nor theoretical possibilities are decisive. Rather, it is the person’s wishes. His dignity. His peace,” said the CDU politician.
In Germany, the elderly and extremely vulnerable are often “operated on until they die” – not out of malicious intent, but because of a system that provides false incentives. “Minimally invasive heart valve replacement or fifth hip prosthesis – technically brilliant, legally secure, and profitable procedures – are too often performed without the important question: Does it improve life? Or just prolong suffering?” warned Streeck. He charged: “Sometimes the greater caution is not to do everything you can. These debates are part of the medical profession – self-management is essential. But it is also part of society, for example through the Ethics Council.” And further: “We must value health, not disease. We must strengthen the staff of nurses, family doctors, and relatives so that treatment at home is possible. And we must invest in structures that enable dignity — not in interventions that bring in income but do not provide life expectancy,” Streeck said.
There is no expensive cancer treatment for a 100 year old
Earlier, in a talk show on ethical and financial considerations in the health system, Streeck called for clearer and binding guidelines on whether medications should still be used in certain phases of life. As an example, he refers to cancer treatment at the age of 100.
The German Patient Protection Foundation strongly opposed Streeck. “The Basic Law guarantees the human dignity of every person,” lamented council member Eugen Brysch. “Hendrik Streeck openly discriminates against the elderly with his statements. Everyone has a legal right to the best supply of medicine.”
