The city of Bonn and the Rhein-Sieg district want to introduce a tele-emergency doctor system. At its meeting on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, the council gave its approval for the conclusion of the necessary public-law agreement on a joint sponsorship.

A steering group with representatives from Bonn and the Rhein-Sieg district drew up the agreement as part of the inter-municipal project work. The criteria established by the state of NRW were taken into account. The state of NRW as well as the health insurance associations, the municipal umbrella organizations and the medical associations support the introduction of such a system.

Tele-EMS physicians are experienced emergency physicians who are located in the tele-EMS center - in Bonn this is planned in Fire Station 1 on Lievelingsweg - and use telecommunications, real-time vital data transmission, voice and, if necessary, visual contact to care for patients in the rescue service. This care is provided in cooperation with the ambulance crew on site.

The tele-emergency doctor is not intended to replace the existing and established emergency doctor service, but to complement it and improve the fastest possible medical care for patients. Through targeted deployment, tele-emergency doctors can relieve the burden on "traveling" emergency doctors and, in suitable cases without acute danger to life, take over and accompany patient care via telemedicine. The tele-EMS doctors are expected to be able to start work in 2025.

The current council resolution also supplements the city's emergency services requirements plan accordingly. The detailed concept can be viewed  here.