Tierschutzpartei on health and care

The Tierschutzpartei wants to pay care workers better and mandate fixed staffing ratios. The state would support training with scholarships. Relatives who care for sick people would receive a care allowance.

Care workers should earn more money. There should be fixed rules on how many staff must be there. The state should help pay for training. People who care for relatives should get money from the state.

In addition to higher salaries and binding staffing ratios, the platform mentions flexible working time models. State-funded scholarship programs and practice-oriented curricula are meant to strengthen nursing training. A state care allowance would compensate relatives of sick people for their extra effort.

The Tierschutzpartei wants to permit active euthanasia, following the example of the Netherlands. Doctors would be allowed to carry it out under fixed conditions.

The Tierschutzpartei wants to allow active euthanasia. This means a doctor may help a severely suffering person die. There would be strict rules. The Netherlands is the model.

The platform lists three conditions. The wish to die must be established beyond doubt, and the suffering must be unbearable with no prospect of improvement. The person must understand their situation and refuse other treatments. In addition, at least one second professional must review the criteria and agree with the assessment.

The Tierschutzpartei wants to substantially increase the number of therapy places and shorten waiting times. According to the platform, long waits often make illnesses worse.

People with mental illness often wait a long time for therapy. The Tierschutzpartei wants more therapy places. Waiting times should get shorter. Crisis hotlines and online help should also get more money.

Besides more capacity in psychotherapy, the quality of treatment is to improve, for example through specialized services for particular conditions. Easily accessible help such as crisis hotlines, online therapy and peer support programs would receive more funding. These are meant to reach people early, before their distress grows.

The Tierschutzpartei wants to allow far fewer chemical additives in food and keep industrial sugar out of baby food in particular. It cites allergies, especially in children, and also promotes a plant-based diet.

The Tierschutzpartei wants fewer chemical additives in food. Baby food should contain no industrial sugar. Labels should say clearly what is in the food. Cafeterias and hospitals should offer more plant-based meals.

Food should be sold as close to its natural state as possible. All ingredients are to be listed completely and in plain language. The party supports a plant-based diet for ethical and health reasons. Public institutions such as cafeterias, university dining halls, nursing homes and hospitals are to greatly expand their plant-based offerings.

The Tierschutzpartei opposes private hospitals, clinics and practices and wants to move healthcare into public ownership. In its view, health should not have to turn a profit. Care should also become more local, accessible and digital.

The Tierschutzpartei does not want private hospitals and practices. The state should run healthcare. Health should not be a business. Rural areas should have enough doctors too. People should be able to book appointments online easily.

Medical care is to be organized in a decentralized way, and doctors in rural areas are to be supported in order to avoid long waits. All health facilities should be barrier-free, with more dedicated services for people with disabilities or chronic illness. Telemedicine is to be strongly promoted, especially in rural regions. Nearby appointments should be quick and easy to book digitally.

In drug policy, the Tierschutzpartei puts education and prevention first and wants to provide addiction counseling, therapy and supervised consumption rooms. Tobacco, nicotine and alcohol are to be taxed more heavily to protect the public and the health system.

The Tierschutzpartei wants to educate people about drugs. Addicted people should get counseling and therapy. There should be consumption rooms. These are safe places where addicted people can take drugs. Tobacco and alcohol should cost more.

According to the platform, consumption rooms save lives and steer addicted people away from public places such as train station restrooms or playgrounds. For higher taxes on tobacco, nicotine and alcohol, the party points to Ireland as a guide. The platform names health damage, broken families and crime as risks of drug use.

The Tierschutzpartei wants to improve elder care, have nursing homes inspected without notice and promote housing models such as multigenerational homes. The aim is for older people to stay active in society and avoid loneliness.

The Tierschutzpartei wants better care for old people. Inspectors should check nursing homes without warning. Old and young people should be able to live together. Old people should be allowed to bring their pets to a home.

Plans include networked social services, more advice centers for home care, help lines and plant-based food in homes. Independent inspectors are to check both private and municipal homes regularly. People moving into a home should be able to bring their pets, and encounters with shelter dogs are to be supported. Against old-age poverty, the platform relies on better labor market integration and more skilled workers from abroad.