District of Schmalkalden-Meiningen's takeover: Rescue for Clinic in Need!
District of Schmalkalden-Meiningen's takeover: Rescue for Clinic in Need!
In the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, work is currently being carried out on a big step: the Elisabeth Clinic is to be removed from the circular units and handed over directly to the district. This decision is no coincidence. As early as 2023, the loss of balance sheet by the district hospital was around 1.5 million euros, while the annual financial statements for 2024 even a minus of around 2.5 million euros, such as Insuedthueringen.de reported. The district has had to step in with financial aid in recent years to maintain the care.
In detail, this means that the district increased the clinic's equity by 500,000 euros and also granted a loan of 2.5 million euros. In order to counteract this financial situation, a second managing director is to be hired for six months. This could be regarded as part of a more comprehensive renovation plan, because the clinic is an important provider for the region.The challenges of hospital financing
As numerous reports show, many clinics are not only facing similar challenges in Schmalkalden. In Germany there are a total of 539 municipal hospitals that act as indispensable medical providers and who often suffer from high financial burdens. Many municipalities have to compensate for deficits that are actually not their responsibility, such as the Ärzteblatt alarm. The problem runs through many federal states that have not invested sufficiently in the clinics for years.
An exemplary scenario presents itself in cities such as Mannheim or Frankfurt, where lawsuits are already being negotiated against urban compensation payments. The financial support that the municipalities have to provide is often not sustainable. It is estimated that a deficit of 790 million euros is expected for all municipal hospitals for 2024. Similar problems are also known in North Rhine-Westphalia, but specific data is difficult to find here.
outlook on the hospital reform
In order to counteract this misery, the federal government plans fundamental changes by a hospital reform, which is, however, delayed. According to the Federal Ministry of Health, more than 100 hospitals threaten bankruptcy in 2024 without legal regulations. However, a transparency law could enable a liquidity injection of up to 6 billion euros for hospitals to improve the financial situation, according to Federal Gesundheitsministerium.de .
The coming months will be crucial, not only for the Elisabeth Clinic in Schmalkalden, but for hospital structures across the country. Improving the financing of personnel costs and a better overview of hospital services and quality are urgently needed to put patient care on a stable foundation. The pressure on the municipalities is growing and it remains to be seen how the situation will develop.
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| Ort | Schmalkalden, Deutschland |
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