JNow it is final: Since Tuesday, the head of the company medical service at the Frankfurt University Hospital, Sabine Wicker, is no longer a member of the Standing Vaccination Commission at the Robert Koch Institute. The term of office of the committee newly appointed by the Federal Ministry of Health began with the first meeting, and because it was decided under Federal Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) that from now on the honorary members of the commission may serve for a maximum of three three-year appointment periods, this does not end just for the professor Frankfurt the term of office. A total of twelve long-standing members are leaving.
According to the announcement, the shortening is intended to ensure the independence of the committee and make it younger and more interdisciplinary. The commission was set up in the 1970s to make recommendations for vaccinations. The members are guided by “the criteria of evidence-based medicine”, which means they analyze studies on the benefits and risks of vaccinations for the entire population and the individual, whether old, young or sick.
Member since 2011
Wicker, born in 1965, has been a member of the voluntary committee since 2011 and was deputy chairwoman in the most recent, exceptionally four-year period. She says she was always proud to be the only Hessian on the commission. In the future, no more members will come from Hesse or the Rhine-Main area.
She would have liked to continue doing the demanding work, which was very intensive and required a lot of time, especially during the Corona pandemic, alongside her full-time job. The Federal Ministry's decision, which was announced at the beginning of November, surprised her, says Wicker. “Per se, there is nothing wrong with the idea of limiting membership to three periods.” However, a change would have been necessary anyway because four to five of the previous 17 members were planning to quit. Then a third of the commission would have been filled, emphasizes Wicker, which from her point of view would have been good because new people also bring new perspectives.
Now the ratio is reversed: only five members remain on the commission, 14 are working for the first time. “There was a big upheaval without necessity,” says Wicker. She is skeptical about this because the committee would lose a lot of experience in this way, which could further delay decisions. After all, the members need time to get used to it, says the company doctor. A special type of scientific work on the highly complex topic is necessary. You have a lot of responsibility and you have to weigh your decisions carefully. Ultimately, the population must also trust the recommendations.
The pandemic has shown that there is still “room for improvement,” says the doctor. During this time in particular, she received a lot of hate emails, was verbally attacked and insulted. She certainly won't miss that. Looking back, however, the beautiful moments outweighed the negative ones. In the committee, people from different areas worked together on an equal footing for a common goal, always with respect for the intellectual achievements of others. However, she will continue to deal with the topic professionally. Now, however, she has room for something new, because “an end is also a new beginning”.
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