Germany 2003: Schmidt sets out on the rocky road to reform
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
It was a turbulent year for the German health service, with health minister Ulla Schmidt following in the footsteps of Martin Luther and Count Otto von Bismark on the path of reform. But far from nailing her own 95 proclamations to the church door or uniting all parties under her command, Ms Schmidt, from the ruling Socialist and Green Party coalition, was forced to go cap in hand to the opposition and reach a consensus agreement on the most wide-ranging health reform in recent years. Faraz Kermani reports