“We are prepared for a great rush.” This sentence by Heinrich Iro, the medical director of the university hospital Erlangen, can’t get Christiane Stark out of her head. By rush, we mean the many expected corona patients in German hospitals. Christiane Stark, 58 years old, is not one of them. Nevertheless, she would give just about anything to be treated in one of these hospitals. But she has no chance. Her operation has been postponed. This is what the patient management of the university hospital informed her three days before her surgery appointment.

Stark, who does not want to be called by her real name, had colon cancer. She beat that cancer. But since the tumor was removed last year, she has an artificial bowel outlet. It’s to prevent the surgical scar from reopening. On March 27th, the exit should be moved back …