Karl Lauterbach has been ubiquitous on television and social media since the pandemic broke out. The Social Democrat politician vividly explains the epidemiological picture and generally warns that the measures taken are not enough. Many get angry with him, calling him “Cassandra” and “prophet of misery”. Fanatic vaccinators hate him, some threaten him. Most, however, listen to him carefully. After all, his predictions are usually verified, even if most people would like the opposite.
Its oddities, some say, include abstinence from salt. The Parliament catering has been adapted to his wishes and, every now and then, prepares unsalted food.
It is no coincidence that in his constituency of Leverkusen, Karl Lauterbach was re-elected with an impressive 45.6% of the vote in the September elections. As soon as it became known that the Social Democratic Party (SPD) was going to staff the Ministry of Health in the new coalition government under Olaf Solz, a whole campaign was launched on Twitter with the slogan “We want Karl” (#WirwollenKarl). All this could not be ignored by the new chancellor. Introducing the Social Democrat ministers on Monday, Olaf Solz made a special reference to the new Minister of Health. “The pandemic is not over yet,” Solz said. “I think most citizens want someone who really knows the subject, and in particular Karl Lauterbach, to take over the health ministry. So he will take over. “
A lone MP
Karl Lauterbach with his characteristic bow tie
For 16 consecutive years Lauterbach is elected Member of Parliament. However, he remains controversial in the Social Democratic Party. In Berlin he is considered rather lonely, somewhat eccentric, perhaps even arrogant. Its oddities, some say, include abstinence from salt. The Parliament catering has been adapted to his wishes and, every now and then, prepares unsalted food. Anyone who asks Lauterbach a question will receive an entire lecture on the benefits of abstinence from salt. Another peculiarity, for many years, was his insistence on the bow tie, instead of the tie that is usual in Parliament. He explained that it was a habit left to him from his experience in the US, where many doctors wear bow ties, avoiding the tie for health reasons. (SS: Relevant research has shown that the doctor’s tie is a dangerous carrier of germs)
There are even jokes about the new Minister of Health. Like the one who says: “Lauterbach meets a little boy on the street and asks him: ‘How old are you, my child?’ ‘Eight’, the little one answers. And Lauterbach takes him away: ‘Eight? “At your age I was nine.” If nothing else, the Social Democrat politician is not without self-confidence. That is why, as soon as it became known that he was taking over the Ministry of Health, his first statement was categorical: “We will win the fight against the pandemic. “And we will be better equipped to be prepared for the next pandemics.”
A “heavy” resume
He studied Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Health Economics in Germany and the USA, holds two PhDs, worked as a researcher at Harvard, taught at the University of Cologne, where he even founded a new Institute for Health Economics.
But are the criticisms and ironies about Karl Lauterbach just out of envy? The truth is that the 58-year-old new Minister of Health has a special resume: He studied Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Health Economics in Germany and the USA, holds two PhDs, worked as a researcher at Harvard, taught at the University of Cologne, where he new Institute for Health Economics. He joined the SPD only in 2001, while he was elected MP for the first time in 2005.
Olaf Solz obviously knows that he did not choose an “easy” candidate. But the conditions of the pandemic are now so dramatic that the Ministry of Health needs a real expert on the problem, who will not ask for a grace period until he is informed and makes decisions. After all, the health system faces other challenges besides the pandemic. It has not been many years since those in charge planned plots. Lauterbach himself called for the closure of some public hospitals in 2013. After the pandemic – and in anticipation of future pandemics – policy changed priorities. Even a Karl Lauterbach becomes wiser. “We are not going to cut the health care system,” the Social Democrat politician said Monday. “On the contrary, we will shield the health system even more, of which we are proud. Besides, we will need it… »
DW / Sabine Kinkarts / Editor: Giannis Papadimitriou
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