Medical care - Health Minister informs about hospital reform in NRW
Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU) reports at 1 pm on Thursday (13th) in Berlin on details of the upcoming structural changes in the North Rhine-Westphalia healthcare landscape. At its core, primary care is to remain. However, not every hospital will be able to offer and bill for everything in the future. Instead, specialized services will be concentrated on fewer hospitals - including cancer and heart surgeries, as well as extensive orthopedic operations.
The clinics can still express their opinions on the new hospital plan until August 11th. By the end of 2024, the five district administrations are then expected to send the corresponding decrees.
The goal of the reform, according to the state government, is to achieve the best possible treatment quality and effectively use limited resources. Among the 234 hospitals in NRW, drastic cuts and necessary closures are anticipated.
NRW Model as a blueprint for the Federal Government?
At the press conference in Berlin, other top representatives of the North Rhine-Westphalia healthcare sector are participating, including the hospital society, health insurance companies, doctors' and nursing chambers.
Parallel to the NRW reform, the political debate between the Federal Government and the states is ongoing over the hospital reform planned by Federal Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD). Laumann sees the NRW model as a blueprint for the Federal Government.
The proposed Hospital Reform in North Rhine-Westphalia, led by Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann, aims to provide the best treatment quality while efficiently utilizing limited resources. This involves concentration of specialized services, such as cancer and heart surgeries, in fewer hospitals. Despite this, primary care will remain a core provision in the healthcare landscape of North Rhine-Westphalia. The implementation of this reform might result in drastic cuts and necessary closures among the 234 hospitals in the region.
During the press conference in Berlin, various top representatives from the North Rhine-Westphalia healthcare sector, including the hospital society, health insurance companies, and doctors' and nursing chambers, will share their views on the reform. Laumann, the Minister, believes that the North Rhine-Westphalia model could serve as a blueprint for the Federal Government's planned hospital reform, led by Federal Minister Karl Lauterbach.
