Germany is now increasingly overwhelmed with problems on many fronts. This situation has also become a question for other countries when the Corona pandemic is raging, because Germany very often makes mistakes.
The bridge on the A45 freeway in Nordrhein-Westfalen state has been one hundred percent closed since a year ago. The cause, very severe damage. The bridge was not torn down, but neither was the company tasked with building the new bridge. Users of public and private vehicles are forced to take detours, and are stuck in traffic for hours. Throughout Germany there are 4,000 bridges that are in critical condition and must be repaired immediately.
On December 4, a tweet on Twitter revealed that the ICE high-speed train between Hamburg and Berlin was so overcrowded, that it could not leave for 20-30 minutes. The superfast train was moving at a very slow speed. Deutsche Bahn railway company workers and passengers without seat reservations were forced to leave the train. Adult passengers hid in the WC of the train and blocked the door with suitcases. Claus Weselsky, Head of the German Machinist Workers' Union stated: "The workers of the railway company and I am ashamed of the services we offer to the people."
Shortage of teachers, educators and nurses
A group of distraught elderly residents in the city of Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Saxony state, on December 12 wrote a letter of gross complaint to the Ministry of Culture, because schools are very often closed. Listed in the Sachsenring-Oberschule school curriculum: religious studies cease to exist. Biology is not taught in eighth grade. In the seventh grade there are no more music and social science lessons. The reduction of the curriculum does not occur in only three subjects.
The main problem, in German schools there is a shortage of 40, 000 teachers. In the state of Saxe-Anhalt now the search for teachers is carried out ala "speed dating." At the same time, according to an educational study, one in five elementary school pupils is unable to achieve minimum standards in German and mathematics.
In the town of Rheinberg, Nordrhein-Westfalen, a mother's patience was completely exhausted, as on December 13 the daycare suddenly closed for two days because her companions were ill. And it's not for the first time. The mother then took her son, and came to the city hall building to entrust her child to the mayor. The mayor was forced to walk out of a meeting to talk to the mother. She told the mayor how another mother couldn't get chemotherapy, which was important for her life, because she couldn't leave a child. Now Germany is looking for more than 100,000 educators.
On the same day, a nurse gave an anonymous statement on the German Channel Two television ZDF about her working hours in the hospital's emergency department: "I experienced, how a patient waited 40 hours in the emergency department, and received less attention. When the nurse finally came to her room, the patient was already dead, although she could actually be saved. The intensive care section in German hospitals, lacking 50,000 nurses.
RS bumped restrictions, drug shortages and panser problems
A nurse at a children's clinic in Berlin on December 14 called for help: "We are very short of nurses. In the last few decades, where I work in the clinic, I have never seen such a large fluctuation in the number of nurses and doctors. Those of us who are still on duty have exhausted to maintain maintenance services." Due to the lack of nurses, 40% of the beds in the intensive care unit cannot be used for patients. Some of the sick children in Berlin were forced to be taken to the Rostock city hospital 200 km from Berlin.
At a location in Germany last Saturday, December 17, a child suffered from a sore throat and swollen tonsils. At the pediatrician's practice, the mother got a diagnosis, her child had Streptokokken infection A. All pharmacies contacted did not have the required supply of Penicillin. Meanwhile, the child's situation is getting worse every hour. From an online doctor, the mother got a prescription for antibiotics that could be her replacement. But he also couldn't get the drug from any pharmacy.
Finally, she managed to get the medicine she needed from another mother she didn't know at all, through a Whatsapp group. It is ironic, because the new drug was discovered through social media contacts seven hours after the diagnosis was given. According to the list of the German Institute of Medicine and Medical Products, there are 330 drugs that are in short supply or even empty in Germany. Especially fever-reducing syrup for children can no longer be purchased in German pharmacies.
The German news magazine Der Spiegel in its December 17 issue published an emergency letter from Major General Ruprecht von Butler to inspectors of the German armed forces after conducting a maneuvering exercise. Of the 18 most modern Puma pansers, none are ready for operation.
"You can't imagine what assessment the troops gave for the reliability of the Puma alutista panser. Panser readiness is like a lottery draw, even though it has been intensively prepared." 20 years ago, the German armed forces ordered 350 pieces of Puma pansers. One unit costs 17 million Euros. Now, those combat equipment cannot be used in war. And the Puma panser is not the only problem in the German armed forces. Major problems have also been seen recently in the artillery panser equipment of howitzers, machine guns, helisuitcases and submarines.
Frozen classrooms, sick doctors, digitization shuffled
Sunday December 18, central heating at a school in Bergisch Gladbach broke down. In all classrooms, the temperature plummeted to 10° Celsius. For several days of lessons could not walk in that school. The following Wednesday, the heater remained damaged, so exams could only be held in a few rooms of the school, which received emergency assistance in the form of additional electric heating. "Children should not be cold at school", warned the Chairperson of the Ministry of Education Conference, Karin Prien, in October.
A tweet on Twitter from a clinic in Germany on December 20 revealed: "Today three doctors are sick, as well as four physician assistants, including in the field of pain therapy. [...] In the intensive care unit many people are sick. Tomorrow there is an emergency meeting because of the holiday. I've had enough! I don't want to do that anymore!" Gerald Gaß, Head of the German Hospital Association warned, "There is currently a shortage of medical personnel between 9% and 10%. That is, one in ten is sick".
Gerd Landsberg of the German Association of Cities and Communities, Thursday December 22 tweeted about a bill that allows people to apply for a driver's license online starting in late 2022. The problem is, digitization has not yet reached various communities. "We're a very bureaucratic country with a complicated structure. We have equipment and staff issues. It's not enough to just state, we want to do everything online. The government should train workers and systems." Among the 35 European countries, Germany only ranks 21st in terms of digitization of government bodies.
Slow energy transition, also Deutsche Bahn
Bundesnetzagentur, the body that takes care of the electricity, gas, telecommunications, postal and railroad networks Thursday, December 22, warned that heating heat exchanger pumps and electric cars could put a strain on the grid.
But the waiting period for the installation of a heat exchanger pump installation in Germany is usually between three to nine months. Late supply and a lack of expert staff also hampered the shift to alternative energy. Germany suffers from a shortage of 17,000 electricians for buildings and construction.
On the same day, last week, the Rheinische Post newspaper quoted the German government's answer to a question from the Christian Democratic and Socialist Party factions about the problem of the often late Deutsche Bahn railway company. "The problem of delay that arises at the moment, for the German government is unsatisfactory". It is also stated that only 50-60% of long-distance trains arrive on time. 2022 will be the year in which Deutsche Bahn trains set a record for the most frequent delays.