Visit to Magdeburg University Hospital: Tino Sorge and Sepp Müller find out about digitalisation in emergency medicine
Tino Sorge, member of the German Bundestag and health policy spokesperson for the CDU/CSU, and his colleague Sepp Müller, deputy chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, visited Magdeburg University Hospital on 9 January 2025. The focus was on discussing the pending emergency reform and digitalisation in emergency medicine in terms of a digital rescue chain. The aspects of digitalisation were also explained in the context of the so-called ‘mass casualty incident’ (MANV).
The visit included a tour of the emergency department and the trauma room, where numerous injured people were treated following the attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market on 20 December 2024. ‘The performance of the doctors and staff in this exceptional situation deserves the greatest respect. What was achieved here is indescribable,’ explained Tino Sorge.
The MPs were accompanied by leading representatives of university medicine, including Prof. Felix Walcher, Clinic Director of Trauma Surgery and Past President of the DIVI, Prof. Robert Werdehausen, Clinic Director of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, Prof. Uwe Ebmeyer, Deputy Clinic Director of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy and President of the Saxony-Anhalt Medical Association, Dr Wiebke Schirrmeister, Managing Director of the AKTIN e.V., Prof. Dr. Uwe Ebmeyer, Deputy Clinic Director of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy and President of the Saxony-Anhalt Medical Association and Dr Tobias Hofmann, Chief Physician of the Emergency Department. During the discussion, they emphasised the need for better digital documentation and networking through systems such as the nationwide AKTIN emergency admission register, which was developed at Magdeburg University Hospital and RWTH Aachen University Hospital.
‘Catastrophic events such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or serious accidents show how important well-positioned emergency care is,’ says Tino Sorge. ‘We need to better equip our healthcare system for such scenarios. In the coming legislative period, I will work to strengthen the structures and digitalisation of emergency medicine in Germany.’
The UMMD was well prepared for the situation of a mass casualty incident thanks to a detailed hospital alert and emergency plan (KAEP). The dialogue partners therefore paid particular attention to the importance of a necessary health safety law.
Prof Dr Hans-Jochen Heinze, Medical Director of University Medicine, added: ‘Stable legislation is essential to ensure the security of care even in times of crisis.’
The tour ended with thanks to the staff at Magdeburg University Hospital for their dedicated work. The exchange made it clear how important modern, efficient emergency medicine is for the population - in Magdeburg and beyond.
Photo (from left): Sepp Müller, Prof. Robert Werdehausen, Prof. Uwe Ebmeyer, Tino Sorge, Prof. Hans-Jochen Heinze, Dr Wiebke Schirrmeister, Prof. Felix Walcher, Dr Tobias Hofmann in the Central Emergency Department at Magdeburg University Hospital. Photographer: Melitta Schubert/UMMD