Harsh criticism - VdK: Bavaria's hospital care threatened by state government
The Bavarian state government, according to the Social Association VdK, is threatening necessary structural changes in the local healthcare landscape with its health policy. "Bavaria aspires to be a social state. Unfortunately, the current policy of the state government often takes a fundamentally oppositional stance towards the federal government, coupled with a tendency to seek success in populism", said Verena Bentele, President of VdK Germany.
The government is thereby blocking necessary structural changes in the healthcare landscape and endangering long-term care security, criticized Bentele, who is also the head of the VdK regional association. It is undeniable that there need to be changes in the hospital structure. Most federal states have therefore long been in concrete planning for the restructuring, such as North Rhine-Westphalia. Bavaria is still waiting.
80% of Bavaria's clinics are forecasting deficits for 2024
The cold structural transformation could unintentionally create facts here unexpectedly fast, said Bentele. 80% of the Bavarian clinics will be in the red for 2024. Closures, sales to private providers, or mergers have already taken place.
"The Bavarian healthcare landscape is dominated by small houses. 144 of the total 351 houses have fewer than 100 beds. In the southern part of the state, there are significantly more clinics than in the north. Despite an apparently sufficient number of hospital beds in total, there are actually under-supplied regions in Bavaria", said Bentele.
Bentele: Government wasting tax money
The VdK President explicitly criticized the Bavarian state government for increasing the healthcare budget from 643 to 800 million Euros during this political phase of transition. "These are tax dollars that flow into individual clinic construction projects, which may not be able to withstand the necessary restructuring through healthcare reform", she said. "That's a waste."
- Verena Bentele, the President of VdK Germany, expressed concerns about the Bavarian state government's stance towards necessary structural changes in the local healthcare landscape.
- Bentele also criticized the state government for blocking these changes, which could endanger long-term care security.
- She highlighted that most federal states, including North Rhine-Westphalia, have already begun planning for healthcare restructuring, while Bavaria is still waiting.
- Bentele mentioned that 80% of Bavarian clinics are forecasting deficits for 2024, which could lead to closures, sales, or mergers.
- She pointed out that Bavaria's healthcare landscape is dominated by small hospitals, with many having fewer than 100 beds, and under-supplied regions despite an apparent sufficient number of beds.
- Bentele further criticized the Bavarian state government for increasing the healthcare budget during the political transition, calling it a waste of tax money, as some individual clinic construction projects may not be able to withstand the necessary restructuring through healthcare reform.
