Emergency room in Dippoldiswalde: Patients often remain without help

Emergency room in Dippoldiswalde: Patients often remain without help

Dippoldiswalde.In the last few weeks there have been repeated complaints about the emergency room in Dippoldiswalde. Citizens report frustrating experiences when they hope for help in acute situations. "I contacted the emergency number 116 117 and was referred to the emergency room. But when I got there, it was closed," says one affected person. The emergency room in Dippoldiswalde is only open Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., which is inadequate for people with medical emergencies that do not occur on a set schedule.

The concept of opening hours for a facility that is supposed to be responsible for acute medical assistance is particularly questionable. Injuries and illnesses do not adhere to office hours. Helios Weißeritztal-Kliniken GmbH has specific restrictions regarding the cases that can be treated in Dippoldiswalde. These include, for example, acute heart and circulatory problems, respiratory diseases, diabetes and serious infections. For other emergencies, patients must be referred to the Helios Clinic in Freital, which can be problematic given the urgency.

Assignment to other hospitals

While the Helios clinics advertise themselves as saying that their emergency rooms are open 24 hours a day all year round, the reality on site is different. Many patients are confused about the actual options of the Dippoldiswald emergency department because the information on the website is not up to date. A call to Helios sometimes does not provide the desired clarity about emergency care.

The outpatient health center in Dippoldiswalde is busy despite the emergency room being closed. There is a constant change of patients in the waiting areas for doctor's offices and therapies. Only the emergency room itself remains mostly empty. Sometimes people come to clarify questions or make appointments, but emergency medical care is often not available. Competing companies in these areas fill the gap here, but this situation is unsatisfactory for many.

Long waiting times and the city council

The long waiting time for non-acute patients is also an issue that concerns the city council. Hans-Jürgen Czwink, a city councilor in Dippoldiswalde, reports about his brother, who had to spend several hours in the waiting room despite a fixed appointment at 11 a.m. These waiting times are further extended by patients who come to the emergency room and cannot receive help there. This situation contradicts the function of an emergency room, which by definition is intended to be the first point of contact for medical emergencies. The challenges facing emergency care are therefore obvious and pose significant problems for both those responsible and the users.

In summary, the current complaints about the emergency room in Dippoldiswalde show a clear discrepancy between patients' expectations and the reality on site. Emergency care should not only be available at certain times, but at all times. An improved communication concept and a future redesign of opening times appear essential in order to meet the needs of the population, as experts from Helios also confirm. More on this topic reports www.saechsische.de.