German doctors admit to causing almost 100 deaths in 2025

Nearly 3,100 medical treatment errors were confirmed in Germany last year, with around 2,700 cases found to have caused or contributed to additional harm to patients.

These shocking findings came from an annual report published on August 20 by the Medical Service of Germany (Medizinischer Dienst auf Bundes- und Länderebene), as German media outlets note.

According to their figures, medical errors were even found to have caused a patient’s death or contributed significantly to it in 97 cases. The Medical Service also said it believed the actual number of treatment errors was considerably higher because many cases go unreported or undetected.

Around 150 incidents from last year were classified by assessors as particularly serious. In medical circles, such incidents are often referred to as "never events" because they should be entirely prevented. They include serious errors in medication prescribing, surgical instruments or other materials being accidentally left inside a patient’s body, and patients or surgical sites being mixed up.

The number of such incidents increased from 134 in 2024 to around 150 in 2025.

Overall, medical assessors examined approximately 11,700 suspected treatment errors across Germany. About one quarter, or 3,098 cases, were ultimately officially confirmed as medical errors. Around two-thirds of the suspected cases involved inpatient treatment, particularly in hospitals, while approximately one-third concerned outpatient care.

Almost 30% of allegations in 2025 concerned treatment in orthopaedics and trauma surgery, while other medical specialities accounted for considerably smaller shares.

However, the medical agency stressed that the figures should not be interpreted as an indication that orthopaedics and trauma surgery have lower safety standards than other areas of medicine.

A high number of suspected errors in a particular speciality may instead reflect how patients perceive treatment outcomes. Following surgical procedures, errors are generally easier for patients to identify than in other areas of medicine, the organisation said.

Dark number feared much higher

According to Germany’s Federal Statistical Office, around 17.5 million people received inpatient treatment in German hospitals in 2024 alone.

The agency continued to expect a significant number of medical errors to go undetected or unreported. Scientists generally estimate that "avoidable adverse events" occur in around 2% to 4% of all inpatient treatments. Applied to Germany, that would correspond to approximately 350,000 to 700,000 such incidents each year.

The Medical Service said preventing treatment errors would therefore not only spare patients unnecessary suffering but also reduce substantial costs for the healthcare system.

In its annual report, the agency cited estimates from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), according to which around 15% of inpatient healthcare costs in highly developed countries are spent dealing with the consequences of preventable medical errors.

Applied to Germany’s statutory health insurance expenditure on hospital care, this would amount to approximately €16.7 billion.

By Nazrin Sadigova