Action alliance continues to fight to preserve both hospitals: "It can be vital"

Created: 02/11/2022, 07:00

By: Elke Robert

In the Ballenhaus in Schongau in December, the future of the region's hospitals was discussed at the virtual citizens' dialogue.

However, many questions remained unanswered for the hospital action alliance.

© Herald

"We do not agree with the plans for a new central hospital in the Weilheim-Schongau district": The action alliance "Pro Hospital Schongau" is not giving up and has written a new open letter to secure the location of the two clinics in Schongau and Weilheim.

Weilheim-Schongau

– This time the group is contacting Health Minister Klaus Holetschek directly.

For the citizens of Schongau, the preservation of the hospital site and the associated services of general interest are a basic component of the quality of life, the letter says.

The pandemic has shown: "Every single hospital location is important for the health system"

“The corona pandemic in particular has shown how important the individual locations were, are and will be for the healthcare system.

Demographic change, especially the baby boomers, will also require inpatient clinical care close to the location in the future,” said the signatories Daniela Puzzovio, Deputy Mayor of Schongau, Regina Haugg and Stefan Konrad.

Closeness to the people is not seen in new clinics that consume many millions of euros, land and resources, but in a health policy that enables smaller hospitals to be run on a solid and financially secure basis.

Action alliance fears "fatal consequences"

The spokesman for the action alliance fears "fatal consequences" if a central hospital is built in Weilheim and Schongau is converted into a medical care center instead.

According to previous plans, an outpatient center is also to be set up.

According to the clinic simulator of the statutory health insurance, an additional 28,000 residents would no longer be able to reach a general hospital within 30 minutes.

This would affect 12,471 inhabitants of Schongau as well as 1,674 inhabitants of the municipality of Burggen (more than 40 minutes' drive).

"This can be vital in clinical emergencies."

Hospital location on the outskirts of Weilheim "unacceptable"

The action alliance considers a location on the outskirts of Weilheim to be “unacceptable”.

Even today, the care is not optimal, there are already five postal code regions near Schongau whose citizens can no longer fall back on clinical care close to home in emergencies.

Last but not least, the Schongau location itself will be enormously weakened.

"Don't put citizens in front of a fait accompli"

Instead of confronting citizens with a fait accompli, they should be taken along and figures and data disclosed that actually speak in favor of a merger of the two locations, Holetschek asked.

If more than 5,000 residents have to drive more than 30 minutes to the nearest general hospital, he should definitely stick to both locations.

In the Ballenhaus, during a citizens' dialogue, the future plans for the hospital GmbH were explained and citizens' questions were answered.

But not nearly enough, as the action alliance criticizes, the evening was more of a pure information event and not a question and answer session for concerned citizens.

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