The hospital reform planned by Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach could turn the hospital landscape in Bavaria upside down. This emerges from a report presented on Monday. About every third of the 400 clinics in the Free State would have to be transformed into a kind of medical care center with an attached nursing station. There, patients would be treated on an outpatient basis and nursed back to health. A regular ward operation, an emergency room or even a maternity ward would no longer be provided.
Only 42 hospitals in Bavaria are likely to still offer extensive inpatient care across multiple disciplines. This is shown by the analysis commissioned by the German Hospital Society (DKG). These would be larger regional hospitals and university hospitals.
“You can twist and turn it as you like, but the ideas for a revolutionary hospital reform presented by the government commission are simply not suitable for practical implementation,” said the head of the Bavarian Hospital Society (BKG), Kitzingen’s District Administrator Tamara Bischof.
The DKG report exceeds his fears, said Bavaria’s Health Minister Klaus Holetschek. In the past few days, the minister had vehemently protested against the plans from Berlin and announced that if necessary he would go to Karlsruhe and sue the Federal Constitutional Court. On Monday, he also reminded Lauterbach of a promise he made when the hospital reform was announced in December: Patients can rely on being treated quickly and well everywhere, including in rural areas. This promise is broken with the current concept. “The reform fails in practice!” said Holetschek.
Better care is actually one of the goals of Lauterbach’s reform. He wants to reorganize the hospital landscape for this. In the future, the majority of clinics will only provide basic care and be easily accessible for older patients. All more difficult interventions, however, would take place in a few, but also well-staffed houses. However, on Monday the authors of the study themselves expressed doubts as to whether the plans could be implemented with such radicality. There will certainly have to be more regional provider clinics.
The Bavarian Hospital Society also sees the need for reform. The hospitals are suffering financially. This is not only due to the high prices for energy, for example. Patient flows are also changing, and some wards are no longer working to capacity. Individual houses would have to merge, as they have done in the past, but at their own pace. “The Free State could also take a more active role and promote and support such cooperation considerations more,” said BKG Managing Director Roland Engehausen.