Overview
- After questioning on TV whether a 100‑year‑old should receive very costly drugs, Hendrik Streeck faced broad backlash over perceived age‑based rationing.
- A government spokesman and Health Minister Nina Warken said his remarks do not reflect federal policy or the Health Ministry’s approach.
- In guest essays, Streeck said his aim is to prevent overtreatment at life’s end, arguing that older patients are sometimes “tot operiert” and calling for incentives that reward health, primary care, home care and palliative support.
- Patient advocates, former health minister Karl Lauterbach and church leaders condemned any linkage of access to proven therapies to age, warning it is ethically untenable and discriminatory.
- The Bundesärztekammer welcomed discussion of end‑of‑life care but stressed therapy choices must not hinge on age or cost, emphasizing prognosis, quality of life and patient wishes.