In the dispute between Neukölln’s city councilor for health and the local medical officer, new details are becoming known. The Tagesspiegel received an excerpt from the internal communication in the district office, which deals with expenses of almost 120 euros that may have been incorrectly billed.
As reported, medical officer Nicolai Savaskan has been relieved of his duties by City Councilor for Health Mirjam Blumenthal (SPD), and the doctor is not allowed to enter the health department he has previously headed. According to unconfirmed information, Savaskan is said to have disregarded some instructions from the head of the house and not to have acted “carefully” in a financial matter. Neither the doctor nor the head of the district office comment on the allegations for the daily mirror not to check.
However, the editors have received an excerpt of a letter that apparently addressed Savaskan: After a revision of the expenses recorded with regard to the pandemic, “on July 11, 2022, after several previous requests, you had to apply for reimbursement of unjustly spent entertainment costs i. H. v. 116.20 euros in connection with the weekend work in the pandemic team”.
In other words: Savaskan probably ordered food for the core team of the Neukölln pandemic team during a weekend assignment – and passed the bill on to the district treasury, whereupon the money was refunded to him. After SPD woman Blumenthal took office in November 2021, pandemic-related expenses were reviewed. The ordered food therefore attracted the attention of the revision, the letter says: “You have not yet met the deadline for reimbursement of July 14, 2022.”
It is difficult to verify to what extent the excerpt is authentic. A longtime official from Neukölln said the content was consistent. City councilor Blumenthal had medical officer Savaskan dismissed on July 29. The Neukölln FDP requested a special session of the health committee of the district assembly.
Savaskan has often spoken out as a member of the Association of Public Health Physicians, which includes many medical professionals from the city’s authorities. Some of them had criticized many corona measures. Patrick Larscheid belongs to the top regional association. The Reinickendorf medical officer told the Tagesspiegel that the political leadership in Neukölln could have settled the dispute with Savaskan – that had been neglected. Now there is a risk that the health department of such a large district will not function adequately, especially since there are not masses of suitable candidates applying.
Even before the pandemic, certain tasks for the medical officers and their staff were almost impossible to manage. The red-green-red coalition wants to expand the city’s health service to a total of 2,000 occupied positions. At least a few months ago, there was a shortage of almost 500 skilled workers.
