Overview
- Deputy government spokesman Steffen Meyer said Streeck’s comments do not reflect the position of the federal government or the health ministry.
- Health Minister Nina Warken stated the ministry is not pursuing the direction suggested by Streeck regarding access to expensive therapies for very old patients.
- Streeck, who serves as the Federal Commissioner for Addiction and Drugs, raised the issue on Welt TV by questioning routine use of high‑cost medications and procedures for centenarians and other very elderly patients.
- In a Rheinische Post guest column, he argued for a paradigm shift toward decisions aligned with patient values, citing high ICU mortality for ventilated over‑80s and warning against systemic incentives that encourage over‑treatment.
- Rebukes came from across the political spectrum and from patient advocates, including Karl Lauterbach, the Deutsche Stiftung Patientenschutz, and a leading geriatrician, who called the idea ethically unacceptable.