Forster maternity clinic closes - 30 km away from the Cottbus University Hospital!

Forster maternity clinic closes - 30 km away from the Cottbus University Hospital!

Forst, Deutschland - On July 1, 2025, a decisive phase for the maternity clinic in Forst (Spree-Neisse) will take place. The birth station, which has been renovated since 2014, will close this Tuesday. The reason? A mixture of falling births and an acute lack of specialist staff, such as [rbb24.de] (https://www.rbb24.de/panorama/biebtrag/2025/07/geburtsklinik-forst-schliessung-cottbus-brandenburg.html). The nearby Medical University of Lausitz-Carl Thiem (MUL-CT) in Cottbus will take on obstetrical services, which could extend the paths for expectant mothers-an aspect that ensures concern in public.

The delivery room was closed on weekends since last summer, since not only the occupancy was low, but also lacked specialists. Only 230 births were registered in Forst last year - a decline that can be felt in the region. The managing director of the Lausitz Clinic, Hans-Ullrich Schmidt, hired new specialists in gynecology and obstetrics for over seven years, which also favored the closure of the birthplace.

The protest is formed

With the impending closure, resistance was made from the population. At the beginning of February 2025, citizens and local politicians moved to a protest with the motto "Births need closeness - we save the Forster birth ward!", Supported by District Administrator Harald Altekrüger (CDU). Many argue that a birthplace in a district town is essential. Positive feedback from patients testify to the quality of the Forster Clinic, which makes the decisions all the more critical.

The closure is also part of a larger trend: A total of seven birth stations in Brandenburg have had to close in Brandenburg since 2015. The reasons for this are not only the declining births, but also new legal requirements and the serious lack of midwives, which according to reports of t-online.de now affects over 4,200 beginners. The shortage of puerperium care is particularly acute, which ultimately makes the situation considerably more difficult for expectant mothers.

The MUC-CT in Cottbus has announced that it would take over the outsourced births. Weekend missions have already been carried out in the past to meet the increasing demand. Despite all the difficulties, the upheaval in Forst could also bring positive approaches. In February, considerations were made to convert the clinic into a midwife -guided birthplace, even if this idea was not implemented. The continuous obstetrics from the university are now planned.

shortage of skilled workers in obstetrics

The current shortage of skilled workers is alarming: According to experts, many young people see the profession as valuable, but the bad conditions are scared. If it is not possible to improve the framework conditions for midwives, it can be expected that even more maternity events will disappear in the next few years. Legally insured women are entitled to puerperal care that is fundamental for early mother-child binding.

With the closure of the birth station in Forst, the question remains: How well is the supply in the future secured? With a distance of 30 kilometers to the next maternity clinic, it could be a challenge for many expectant mothers to receive medical help in good time. In the air, the fate of an entire region hangs in which birth rates continue to remain at worry. The signs are on change, but how and when will the positive use of this challenge happen?

So far, despite all the challenges, there is no end in sight. The topic of "securing obstetrical care" will continue to be accompanied in Lausitz in the future.