Berlin prepares for war scenarios: plan for hospitals and civil protection ready

Twelve healthcare facilities involved in the emergency programme. Scenarios include armed conflict and evacuation of the capital

The Berlin authorities, the German armed forces and twelve hospitals in the capital have drawn up a detailed plan to deal with possible extreme crisis scenarios, including armed conflict in the heart of the city. The project, which took two years to develop and was kept partly confidential for security reasons, was presented today by the Berlin Senate.

The initiative comes in the context of the conflict in Ukraine and NATO’s growing concerns about a possible spread of instability to Western Europe. Following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, the German government initiated a structural review of civil protection, which had been neglected since reunification in 1990.

Measures include maintaining critical supplies, emergency patient allocation, and food, medicine and energy stocks. Health Senator Ina Czyborra stressed that “the new threat assessment has necessitated a concrete strengthening of the civil protection system”.

The scenarios considered include hospital overloads, logistical collapses, armed attacks and, in the worst case, the complete evacuation of Berlin. Marc Schreiner, president of the Hospital Association, acknowledged the progress made, while pointing out that preparedness remains an ongoing challenge.

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(Photo: © AndKronos)