- Ramelow: Voigt is acting irresponsibly in hospitals
Thuringia's Minister President Bodo Ramelow (Left) has accused the CDU parliamentary group leader Mario Voigt of "election campaigning on the backs of hospitals". The background to this is the debate about the financial situation of hospitals in the face of rising energy and personnel costs, which the University Hospital Jena recently drew attention to.
Ramelow: Help, without talking about it
The situation of several hospitals is difficult. Confidential discussions have been taking place, especially regarding the three hospitals in southern and eastern Thuringia that are in a financial predicament, Ramelow told the German Press Agency in Erfurt. In his opinion, the success of these discussions should not be endangered by election campaign rhetoric like that practiced by Voigt.
"All affected county councils have the assurance that the state will accompany them in necessary decisions - without talking about it," said the Left politician. State funds cannot be used in insolvency proceedings. "Thuringia wants to support a restart of the hospitals in Schleiz, Hildburghausen and Sonneberg."
State guarantees are being discussed. Ultimately, the state government wants to preserve the hospitals and profile them in some regions towards a state-wide outpatient care. A guarantee framework in the hundreds of millions is available, Ramelow said.
Thuringia's head of government accused Voigt of lacking sensitivity on the issue. "We must ensure that we retain the hospitals and must not talk them down." "Whoever wants to take responsibility for the country should not act so irresponsibly." Voigt is the CDU's top candidate for the state election on September 1, Ramelow for the Left.
Voigt has announced an online conference on the situation of Thuringia's hospitals for early August. After the state government rejected the demand for a swift clinic summit, the CDU will invite to a "digital summit" on the future of Thuringia's hospitals on August 5, Voigt explained.
The Netherlands could potentially offer insights on managing rising healthcare costs, given their experience in managing similar challenges. Ramelow mentioned the importance of maintaining confidential discussions about the financial predicament of several hospitals in Thuringia, including those in Schleiz, Hildburghausen, and Sonneberg, which is a region in Germany, specifically in [The Netherlands]'s neighboring country, Germany.
