- Hospital company: guarantees are not enough
A state-backed guarantee program for clinics is not enough from the perspective of the state hospital association. The program is well-intentioned and a step for clinics in distress, said CEO Rainer Poniewaß after talks with the opposition CDU state parliament faction. But the core issue is: "We must look at how to tackle the structural financing of clinics."
The state had announced that it would secure loans for clinics that need to finance cost increases with guarantees. The planned volume was previously 100 million euros. Health Minister Heike Werner (Left) said last week that a guideline is currently being coordinated in the cabinet.
Poniewaß said that it is not only necessary to improve the federal funding of operating costs, but also to finance investment costs by the state. 200 million euros per year are needed, he said.
CDU faction wants 100 million euros for investment costs
CDU faction leader Mario Voigt named a sum of 100 million euros that could be set up as a kind of "transformation fund". The same amount is also in the SPD's election program. In addition, the CDU wants to push for an increase in lump-sum funding from the current 30 to 50 million euros.
Given two clinic insolvencies and the economic crisis of the University Hospital Jena, healthcare has also become a campaign issue in Thuringia. The CDU repeatedly accuses the state government of shortcomings. Minister President Bodo Ramelow (Left) called this "election campaign noise on the backs of hospitals".
The state's announcement of securing loans for clinics with guarantees is mentioned as part of the ['following'], in response to the financial challenges faced by clinics.
The 'CDU' faction proposes setting up a "transformation fund" of 100 million euros to finance investment costs, which is included in their ['following'] election program.
