Members of the pension fund for dentists in Berlin, Bremen and Brandenburg are pressing government officials and supervisory authorities to recover asset losses stemming from failed investments.
A dentist, speaking anonymously, has called for political intervention and the creation of a special fund (Sondervermögen) to secure dentists’ pensions in a letter to Germany’s health minister Nina Warken.
The request comes as Versorgungswerk der Zahnärztekammer Berlin (VZB) expects €1.1bn in losses – roughly half the fund’s assets – from investments in companies that went bankrupt, chair Thomas Schieritz told news outlet rbb24.
As a first-pillar public pension fund, which automatically enrols dentists in the three federal states, VZB “cannot become insolvent – it must continue operating, and this absolutely requires government support at the highest level”, according to the letter, seen by IPE.
The proposed special fund would provide capital to compensate members for financial losses and ensure the long-term functionality of the institution.
The letter also calls on the health ministry to review and oversee the pension fund’s operations and transfer supervisory responsibility to the departments for health and economic affairs in Berlin.
The health ministry told IPE that it does not comment on letters it receives and responds directly to senders. IPE understands it has not yet replied to this letter.
Current developments have shaken members’ trust, exposing structural weaknesses within both the pension fund and supervisory authorities. Members believe some individuals and networks, partly responsible for VZB’s losses, remain in place and protected, and that an overhaul of the fund is not progressing, according to sources.
The dentists’ initiative WirEngagierenUns is rallying members around the letter.
“Our lever is to put pressure on political representatives, saying that there isn’t any more retirement security for us in Berlin, Bremen and Brandenburg, and the government cannot allow that dentists refuse to work in the three states,” Heinrich Bültemann-Hagedorn, a member of WirEngagierenUns, told IPE.
He said young dentists are hesitant to take over practices because membership in VZB is mandatory.
Fund members are also considering sending a further letter to Franziska Giffey, head of Berlin’s economic affairs department, which supervises VZB. In the letter, also seen by IPE, members demand Giffey’s resignation and “a fresh start” to restore trust, alongside a plan to compensate members for losses.
Giffey defended her role during a meeting of Berlin’s economic committee, stating that the ministry’s task is to monitor the fund’s operations, not its investments.
At VZB, investments are made and monitored exclusively by bodies whose pension fund members carry out the job on a voluntary basis, meaning dentists, she said.
“From our point of view, it is not always guaranteed that these people have sufficient skills to truly evaluate such complex investments,” Giffey added.
