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Resistance to Lauterbach's hospital reform: "We will protest massively"

2023-06-02T08:52:10.467Z

Highlights: Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach wants to revolutionize hospitals in Germany. The federal and state governments agree on 90 percent of the controversial plans. The biggest point of contention is the so-called "levels" of hospitals. Many countries are still skeptical here, above all the Bavarian Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU), who regularly taunts Lautersbach. In the CSU, it is feared that rural hospitals will have to close due to the level division.



Karl Lauterbach wants to revolutionize hospitals. © Christophe Gateau/picture alliance/dpa

"We agree that we don't agree." Karl Lauterbach has not yet been able to convince all countries of his reform – one point in particular is divisive.

Berlin – When Karl Lauterbach appeared before the press on June 1, everything seemed to be in order at first. The Minister of Health had experienced a "very successful meeting" with his country colleagues. One must "be careful not to work with superlatives here," but his mega-project of hospital reform has come closer. The federal and state governments agree on 90 percent of the controversial plans, the minister emphasized: "A breakthrough." But the federal and state governments were not quite so unanimous.

Lauterbach rebuffs with proposal from countries: "We'll see who prevails"

The biggest point of contention is the so-called "levels". According to Lauterbach, hospitals are to be classified into three levels and promoted accordingly. For example, there will be clinics for basic care – for example, for basic surgical interventions and emergencies. Other hospitals are to take care of the "standard and focus care". University hospitals are to be assigned to a third group, the clinics for "maximum care".

Many countries are still skeptical here, above all the Bavarian Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU), who regularly taunts Lauterbach. "The levels are not necessary for the success of the hospital reform and are constitutionally highly problematic and give rise to fears that they will be associated with further restrictions for the clinics in the medium term," said Holetschek. In the CSU, it is feared that rural hospitals will have to close due to the level division and that people in the countryside will take longer to get to the nearest hospital.

The head of the Conference of Health Ministers, Manfred Lucha (Greens), has a similar view. "We won't be friends at the levels," said Baden-Württemberg's Minister of Health, looking at Lauterbach and grinning. "We'll see who comes out on top." "We agree to disagree," Lauterbach said later. They agreed that they did not agree.

Lauterbach's timetable for the new law

After the consultations on Thursday, Lauterbach outlined a timetable for the reform: the key points for the reform should be presented before the summer break. Over the summer, the federal, state and parliamentary groups should then draw up a draft law. The aim is to bring the reform into force on 1 January 2024.

Resistance to Lauterbach's hospital reform: "We will protest massively"

For the Bavarian Hospital Association (BKG), the talks on June 1 – unlike for Lauterbach – were not yet a breakthrough. "Important details remain completely unclear," the dpa quoted the BKG chairman Tamara Bischof. For example, no solution has yet been found as to how the high inflation rates could be compensated. According to BKG evaluations, nine out of ten hospitals are running deficits.

"We will protest massively in the coming weeks, because without reliable inflation compensation we cannot reliably maintain the supply of the population," said Bischof. "A future hospital reform, which will only take effect in the next few years, will not help the clinics at all in this emergency." The BKG is also critical of the level classification. This is "neither necessary for future hospital planning nor for the planned provision financing" – and also "unsuitable for higher quality and service transparency". (Andreas Schmid)

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2023-06-02

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