Three state health ministers are calling for the end of compulsory vaccination in the health sector

Saxony, Bavaria and Thuringia are jointly calling for an end to compulsory vaccination for health and care staff by the end of the year. The three state health ministers Petra Köpping (SPD), Klaus Holetschek (CSU) and Heike Werner (left) wrote a letter to Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) in favor of not extending the compulsory vaccination that expires at the end of the year, as the politicians announced on Thursday. The reason is the fear that this will exacerbate the shortage of staff in the healthcare system. The initiative came from Saxony.

Lauterbach has so far made an extension of the vaccination requirement dependent on the course of the autumn and winter wave. "The institution-related vaccination obligation brings us more harm than good," said Holetschek. "We need every available workforce in medicine, nursing and integration assistance."

Saxony's Minister of Health, Köpping, argued that the omicron variant leads to severe courses less often than Delta did before. An extension of the vaccination requirement beyond the end of 2022 is simply not justified. "We can't do without anyone." Thuringia's Health Minister Werner called for incentives for booster vaccinations for all citizens instead of compulsory vaccination in health and care.

"The traffic light coalition must also be clear that this is not about party-political tricks, but about a cross-party concern in the interests of the citizens and an already heavily burdened health and care sector," said Holetschek about the common political situation, which is unusual in day-to-day business Push by the CSU, SPD and Left.