Stroke agreement with France must become the start of genuine patient mobility

At the conclusion of the MOSAR supplementary protocol on cross-border stroke care with the French health agency ARS Grand Est, Dr. Helmut Isringhaus, health policy spokesperson of the FDP Saar, states:

"The conclusion of this agreement is good news for people on both sides of the border. Every minute counts, especially in the case of a stroke. If patients from the Moselle department can receive highly specialized diagnostics and therapy more quickly at Winterberg in Saarbrücken in an emergency, this is a real advancement."

The supplementary protocol complements the existing MOSAR agreement with cross-border care for stroke patients; the signing is scheduled for Friday, July 10, 2026, at the Saarbrücken Clinic.

Isringhaus also emphasizes that this agreement must only be an intermediate step: "Our goal must be genuine freedom of movement for outpatient and inpatient treatment on both sides of the border. Those living in the border region should be able to access medical care where it is available the fastest, best, and most sensibly – regardless of whether the facility is located in Saarbrücken, Forbach, Sarreguemines, or Metz."

The practical implementation is crucial now: "A signed agreement alone does not save a patient. Alerting, transport, admission, intervention, billing, and follow-up care must work seamlessly in everyday practice. The border must not be a barrier in healthcare – especially not in time-critical emergencies."

The successful MOSAR collaborations demonstrated that cross-border solutions can work. “We need to build on that. Stroke, heart attack, emergency care, specialist treatment, and planned inpatient procedures must not be considered within national jurisdictional boundaries. Saarland and Grand Est should jointly become a model region for European healthcare.”