Friday, December 10, 2021

What The New Health Minister (Lauterbach) Says

 N-TV had a brief chat over comments made by the new Health Minister for the German government.

1.  He says he wants financial incentives for nurses to include tax-free status for work done on Sundays/holidays.  Whether this could pass via the Bundestag?  Unknown.  Amount that this might add up to?  Also an unknown.  I doubt if this goes past 1k Euro per year but will wait for more chatter on this topic.

2.  Forced vaccinations upon people or jail?  No, says Lauterbach.  However, he didn't see a problem with 'fines'.  

3.  On Omikron, kids seem to get it more than adults.  No explanation given yet.

4.  Lauterbach says he wants to make science more of the emphasis than politics.  The sixteen German states?  They probably won't agree with his philosophy.  The fact that he only gets this job because of his party's political emphasis in September....may not have occurred to him yet.

5.  Lauterbach says he won't appear on TV as often as the past twelve months.  If you asked me on all public/commercial TV networks.....he probably had at least twenty appearances per week, and was guaranteed at least once a week an appearance on a prime-time public forum via public TV (ARD/ZDF).  

6.  Finally.....to the question/criticism of management skills (various SPD members have openly discussed this).....Lauterbach defends his abilities.  His agency has around 700-odd members.  If you review his resume....I doubt if he's ever managed more than a couple dozen medical folks in his life.  

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