Freital is fighting for the return of maternity and pediatric wards!

Freital is fighting for the return of maternity and pediatric wards!

Recently, the closure of the maternity room, the women's clinic and the children's ward in Freital Hospital caused great discontent in the region. This came after Helios announced in November 2022 that these important departments would be closed on December 1, 2022. Nurses immediately took action, organized protest events and mayors sent letters to the Saxon state government to draw attention to the grievances. But the closures were ultimately carried out within a legally established framework, not as a result of Helios' business decisions, such as those Saxon reported.

A proposal from the conservative center in the district council now wants to change this unfortunate situation. The reopening of the closed stations will be discussed at the meeting on June 23, 2023. The demands are clear: discussions between the district administrator and Helios to create a long-term perspective for the hospital and the preparation of a feasibility study for the remunicipalization of the clinic. The latter would mean that the district would take over the hospital. But the district administrator is withdrawing for financial reasons, citing other Saxon districts that also have similar financial problems. For example, the Meißen district is struggling with enormous losses at the Elbland clinics, while the Görlitz district had to inject millions.

Legal changes and their effects

The Hospital Care Improvement Act, which comes into force on December 1, 2024, is seen as one of the reasons for the closures. The vdek describes that the law is intended to initiate numerous reforms to improve hospital care in Germany. Among other things, there will be a nationwide structuring of hospital services, which could create incentives to improve the quality of care. But the complexity and the open questions regarding implementation also represent a challenge BKG determines. The next federal government is called upon to make urgently needed improvements.

The birth rates in Freital speak for themselves: they have fallen from 500 in 2019 to under 200 in 2024. This development has led to the Saxon Ministry of Social Affairs even deciding to cancel the care mandate for gynecology and child and adolescent medicine as of December 1, 2024 - a decision that considers security of supply to be guaranteed. However, the advisory group sees the possibility of a private birthing center and fundamentally welcomes this idea, although without providing financial support.

A ray of hope for the future?

In view of the serious situation, the conservative center has submitted another application that examines the feasibility of obstetric and pediatric medical care. The discussion about this will take place next Monday. It remains to be hoped that this dialogue could be the first step in the right direction to close the supply gaps and find long-term, viable solutions for the people in Freital and the surrounding area.

The region is already struggling with financial bottlenecks, and current developments make it clear that well-functioning hospital care is essential for the quality of life of its citizens. The question remains whether innovative concepts and legal reforms can actually make a decisive difference here.