Children's clinics are often under great economic pressure.
Some countries therefore want a new remuneration system.
Bavaria joins them.
Munich - Bavaria supports Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig (SPD) in her plan to put the financing of children's clinics on a stronger footing.
That emerged from yesterday's meeting of the health committee in the state parliament.
The Ministry of Health then confirmed this decision to our newspaper.
In terms of content, it is about: Hospitals are remunerated via so-called flat rates.
This means that a fixed amount is paid for a specific treatment.
But clinics complain that this often does not adequately cover peaks or special features.
This is particularly important when treating children, where it often takes longer and requires more staff.
The professional association of paediatricians therefore recently even warned of “children's hospital deaths”.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's head of state Schwesig (SPD) has therefore submitted an application to the Federal Council in which the federal government is called upon to "develop comprehensive inpatient pediatric care outside of the flat-rate case system".
Bremen and Saxony-Anhalt support the advance.
Bavaria had not yet positioned itself clearly.
When SPD politician Ruth Waldmann brought the subject up yesterday in the state parliament's health committee, there was initially confusion, especially on the part of the CSU members.
With her application, Waldmann demanded that Bavaria should support Schwesig.
The committee chairman Bernhard Seidenath (CSU) and party colleague Helmut Radlmeier apparently did not even know that the matter would be dealt with in the Federal Council committee on Wednesday, but instead considered it postponed.
Radlmeier asked Waldmann to postpone her own application.
Only a phone call with the state government brought clarity.
Health Minister Melanie Huml (CSU) also supported Schwesig's request, reported an official who was also not very informative.
Radlmeier then felt badly informed by his own state government: “We don't want any secrecy,” he emphasized.
Since the application is ready for a decision, the CSU agrees.
Waldmann countered her committee colleagues that reading the Federal Council's website was not a secret science.
"It will take its toll if you only look at the speech slips from the ministries when preparing for the committee."
In the end, the committee members of all parliamentary groups unanimously approved Waldmann's proposal.
"It was an arduous struggle to convince the government of their own opinion," said the SPD politician afterwards.
She was relieved that Bavaria would approve the Federal Council initiative.
"We now have the chance that children's medicine will be released from the flat-rate system and adequately financed."
If Schwesig's proposal is accepted in the Federal Council Committee today, the decision could be made at the plenary session on November 6th.
